Community health workers, in Nigeria often trained and certified as Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWs), bring basic health services, health education, screening, referrals, and follow-up, directly into communities that may be far from the nearest hospital or clinic. Major public health priorities across much of Africa include routine childhood immunization against diseases like measles and polio, maternal and child health programs aimed at reducing deaths during pregnancy and childbirth, and control of endemic diseases such as malaria through measures like insecticide-treated bed nets. Much of this work is preventive rather than curative: health education on hygiene, nutrition, and family planning, combined with early detection and referral, can prevent illness that would otherwise require far more expensive hospital treatment later. Community-based care is a central strategy for extending health coverage in settings where doctors and specialist facilities are concentrated in cities and underserved in rural areas.