In a renewed move to reshape child survival strategies in Nigeria, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has officially launched the Behavioural Insights Research and Development Laboratory (BIRD-Lab) at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos (UNILAG), Idi-Araba. This marks only the second such facility on the African continent, following Ethiopia’s pioneering lab in Addis Ababa.
The BIRD-Lab is not merely a research centre—it is a strategic nerve centre designed to harness behavioural science in addressing Nigeria’s persistent child development challenges. The initiative, spearheaded by UNICEF in collaboration with 19 Nigerian universities and the Federal Ministries of Health and Information, aims to generate evidence-based solutions that reflect the lived realities of Nigerian children.
Among the participating institutions are UNILAG, University of Ibadan, University of Maiduguri, Bayero University, Lagos State University, University of Nigeria Nsukka, Yakubu Gowon University, Chrisland University, Ahmadu Bello University, University of Benin, and University of Jos—with more expected to join the expanding network.
UNICEF’s Country Representative, Ms Wafa Saeed, speaking virtually at the launch, described the lab as a transformative platform. “This is a decisive move to reimagine our collective work for children,” she declared. “Understanding how humans think, decide and act is central to our mission. Everything we do starts and ends with children.”
Ms Saeed emphasised that the BIRD-Lab will unite experts from medicine, psychology, sociology, nutrition, and communication to co-create child-centred solutions. “This hub will allow us to ask the right questions, deepen our understanding, and collaborate directly with communities and children,” she said.
She lauded the Network for Behavioural Research on Child Survival in Nigeria (NETBRECSIN) for coordinating the initiative and praised UNILAG and the Federal Ministries for hosting the country’s first physical BIRD-Lab. “This is an extraordinary commitment to ensuring children not only survive but thrive,” she added.
UNICEF’s Deputy Country Representative, Rownak Khan, who attended the launch in person, underscored the lab’s significance. “This facility is close to our hearts. It will empower researchers and students to interrogate why well-funded programmes sometimes fail to deliver full impact,” she said. “We must understand behavioural motivations and community perceptions to recalibrate our interventions.”
UNILAG’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, represented by Prof. Afolabi Lesi, expressed unwavering confidence in the project’s success, citing its multidisciplinary nature, national scope, and government backing. “UNILAG is fully committed and will deploy all available resources to support this initiative,” she affirmed.
Chairing the event, Prof. Akin Osibogun, former Chief Medical Director of LUTH, hailed the lab’s potential to combat Nigeria’s alarming maternal and child mortality rates. “While developed nations have reduced these figures to single digits, Africa continues to grapple with unacceptable levels. Behavioural factors are key, and this lab is a step in the right direction,” he stated.
UNICEF’s Chief of Social Behaviour Change, Kshitij Joshi, described BIRD-Lab as a dynamic approach rather than a static facility. “It’s a convergence of academia, civil society, media, and the private sector. Student-generated data is being refined into policy briefs and fed directly into government systems,” he explained.
Joshi revealed that the Federal Ministry of Health has already allocated space to integrate BIRD-Lab findings into national policy frameworks. “This is only the beginning. More BIRD-Labs will emerge across Nigerian universities, driving behavioural science into the heart of public service,” he concluded.
