Systems Thinking and Project Management Integration in National Health Programmes in Nigeria: Towards a New Management Paradigm

National health programmes in Nigeria involve interconnected projects that produce emergent systemic effects not captured by conventional project-by-project management approaches. This study develops a systems thinking and project management integration paradigm for national health programmes in Nigeria. A transformative mixed-methods design will analyze three national health programmes (National Primary Health Care Development Agency, National AIDS, Viral Hepatitis and STIs Control Programme, and Immunization Programme) using causal loop diagram modeling, system dynamics simulation, and structured interviews with 50 programme directors and project managers. Soft systems methodology (SSM) will facilitate participatory mapping of programme systemic structures. The study will develop an integrated PM and systems thinking (PM-ST) framework tested through expert validation workshops across six geopolitical zones. This study generates an original paradigmatic contribution by formalizing the PM-ST integration for national health programme management in Nigeria, responding to the persistent fragmentation of health project delivery. Keywords: systems thinking, project management, national health programmes, Nigeria, management paradigm