By The Kano State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening healthcare delivery through a structured and accountable process, as it collaborates with a Gates Foundation–supported initiative to enhance services at the primary healthcare (PHC) level.
The initiative, a national health reform programme implemented by the International Budget Partnership (IBP), aims to improve transparency and credibility in health budgeting, with a focus on reducing maternal, neonatal and child mortality across Kano State.
Speaking at the opening of a two-day PHC Fiscal Governance and Budget Credibility Inception Meeting, IBP Country Director, Yinka Babalola, explained that the programme is designed to strengthen supervision, coordination and accountability within the PHC system.
She noted that IBP is working through existing government structures to improve budget predictability, streamline information flow and ensure effective follow-through along the primary healthcare value chain.
According to Babalola, the initiative seeks to enhance basic healthcare delivery by promoting compliance with performance-linked incentives.
“This is not about teaching anyone how to do their job. It is about ensuring that once one institution completes its responsibility, the next step is taken clearly and on time, so services do not stall between offices,” she said.
She added that primary healthcare in Kano is funded through multiple streams, including the state budget, the Basic Health Care Provision Fund, local government allocations and reform-linked financing mechanisms.
“Although these funds are meant for the same purpose, they move through different offices, approval processes and timelines. When coordination fails at any point, health facilities experience delays, stalled activities or missed opportunities to improve care,” she explained.
In his response, the Kano State Commissioner for Health, Dr Abubakar Labaran Yusuf, said the state government is aligning its budgetary provisions to strengthen primary healthcare services and improve health outcomes.
“We acknowledge that Kano has faced poor indices in maternal mortality, neonatal mortality, child mortality and immunisation coverage. Since we assumed office, significant progress has been made. Maternal mortality has dropped substantially—almost by half of what we inherited. Child mortality and immunisation coverage are also showing improvement,” he said.
Dr Yusuf identified inter-ministerial coordination as a major challenge and stressed the importance of collective action to fully benefit from federal health initiatives such as the HOPE project.
“All ministries must key in to ensure Kano maximally benefits from HOPE, including all disbursement-linked indicators and gateways, so that what is meant for Kano comes to Kano through collective effort,” he added.
However, the Director-General of the Kano State Primary Health Care Management Board, Professor Salisu Ahmad Ibrahim, raised concerns about persistent gaps in PHC service delivery, citing shortages of qualified health personnel, essential medicines and functional laboratory services.
