Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Unilever, agreeing to reintroduce its oral health programme to the region’s schools.
The company originally launched the scheme in 2013 in Nigeria’s Bwari Area Council.
Unilever Nigeria will provide oral health facilities to around 10 million school children across the nation by 2020. The scheme aims to encourage children to take responsibility for their own oral health and promote positive self-esteem alongside good oral hygiene habits.
The plans were unveiled during National Oral Health Week with Nigeria’s Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, signing a Memorandum of Understanding with Unilever.
Adewole said that the programme also aims to encourage schools and parents to play a role in their children's oral health and that this is a "priority" focus for the National Oral Health Policy. The service aims to provide minimum standards of acceptable care to promote patient satisfaction and universal coverage for all Nigerian citizens.
Colgate-Palmolive is also working with the Nigerian government on a similar scheme, called Bright Smiles, Bright Future, aimed at children aged six to eight.
The company has also worked on oral health projects in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and 25 other countries, having a significant impact on the oral health of children across the world.