USAID partners Kebbi on health sector growth

The USAID State Accountability,  Transparency, and  Effectiveness (State2State) Activity is in collaboration with the Kebbi State Government for the development of the Medium Term Sector Strategy of the health sector in the state.

This was the major part of discussion as State2State organised a three-day workshop for staff in the health sector of the state at Dankani Guest Palace Hotel, Sokoto, between August 5th and  7th, 2024.

Arewa PUNCH reports that earlier, the workshop had assured the participants and other stakeholders that the state government led by the leadership of Dr Nasir Idris of its total and unreserved support for the programme and its objectives.

In his remarks at the workshop,  the state Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Abba Sani Kalgo; noted that the workshop was a very important intervention, which he assured will strengthen the public financial management process of the state, which he described as one of the key and cardinal points of the current administration.

Kalgo stated, “We are trying to revamp and overhaul the public financial management sector, and this is the kind of workshop that will help us to achieve that quickly.”

Therefore, he called on the participants to ensure full participation so as to bring back their acquired experience to bear on the state’s health sector’s development.

Kalgo further commended the State2State for partnering with the state government while assuring that the state will continue to improve on their relationship for the benefits of the growth of the Kebbi State health sector.

Also speaking, the state Commissioner for Health, Comrade Yunusa Isah Ismaeel, commended the State2State for coming into the state and implementing several of its developmental agenda in the state.

He said the workshop will contribute to making the much-needed difference in the state budget design and subsequently have the budget released for the implementation of such projects.

Ismaeel assured that his ministry would collaborate with the budget and economic ministry in order to fastrack the developmental agenda of the current administration.

Speaking earlier in his opening remarks, the, Team Lead, USAID State2State in Kebbi State, Usman Faleye, said the team is supporting the state to develop the Medium Term Sector Strategy for the health sector in the state.

He insisted that the MTSS will help the state to identify key programmes and help to call for such programmes in the next three years.

He maintained that the workshop will also help the states on how to link fiscal planning with some of the health sector key areas that they are looking forward to being established in 2025, 2026, and 2027.

The commissioner further noted that one of the major aims of the programme is to ensure that more allocation of at least 15 per cent of the state budget is earmarked  for the health sector for the benefit of the citizens.

“We want to be sure that this allocation is made for the right places, just to be able to support and identify the activities that will help change the health indices in the state,” Ismaeel canvassed.

Continuing, he disclosed, “We are already working closely with all the ministries, departments and agencies in the health sector, so that prioritise issues that bother on their offices and be able to direct resources.”

Participants at the three-day workshop include all the sector planning teams from across the ministries, departments, and agencies within the health sector

Others included the representatives of the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, the State House of Assembly, among others.