The Kano State Government has initiated steps to address coordination gaps responsible for delays in the funding and delivery of primary healthcare services across the state.
This was the focus of a two-day Primary Healthcare Fiscal Governance and Budget Credibility Inception Meeting held in Kano, where government officials and development partners examined how healthcare funds are planned, released and utilised.
Primary healthcare in the state is financed through multiple sources, including the state budget, the Basic Health Care Provision Fund, local government allocations and other reform-linked financing initiatives. However, stakeholders at the meeting observed that the various funding streams operate under separate administrative processes and timelines, often resulting in implementation delays.
According to participants, the gaps have led to stalled programmes, delayed supply of essential medicines and disruptions to community outreach services, thereby affecting service delivery at health facilities.
The meeting marked the commencement of a Gates Foundation-supported programme being implemented by the International Budget Partnership Nigeria in collaboration with the Kano State Government.
Speaking at the event, the Country Director of IBP Nigeria, Yinka Babalola, said the initiative was designed to improve efficiency in healthcare financing without redefining institutional responsibilities.
“This is not about teaching anyone their job. It is about ensuring that once one institution completes its responsibility, the next step follows seamlessly and on schedule, so that services do not stall between offices,” Babalola said.
He explained that the programme would operate within existing government systems while seeking to improve predictability in funding flows, strengthen information sharing and ensure effective follow-through across the primary healthcare value chain.
The reform effort comes as Kano State participates in national programmes such as HOPE-PHC and HOPE-GOV, which link performance incentives to measurable improvements in primary healthcare outcomes.
The programmes assess realistic planning, effective budget execution, transparency and the efficient flow of funds, including those from the Basic Health Care Provision Fund.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr Abubakar Labaran Yusuf, said the state government was committed to aligning healthcare financing with budgetary provisions to enhance service delivery.
“We have attended this programme to enable the state align itself with budget provisions and identify ways to improve primary healthcare funding. Since we assumed office, we have improved several indicators. Maternal and child mortality rates have reduced, immunisation coverage is improving, and zero-dose cases are also declining,” he said.
Yusuf, however, noted that coordination among ministries and agencies remained a major challenge.
“The challenge we are facing now is how to effectively coordinate all relevant ministries and agencies so that Kano State can fully benefit from what the Federal Government has introduced through the HOPE programme. We are optimistic that all stakeholders will work together so that the state can fully access and utilise these opportunities,” he added.
Also speaking, IBP Nigeria’s Strategy and Policy Lead, Onyekachi Chukwu, said the performance-based reform environment had made coordination more critical.
“These reforms have raised the stakes. Outcomes are now closely monitored, and coordination determines whether improvements are actually felt in healthcare facilities,” Chukwu said.
Participants at the meeting expressed optimism that clearer coordination frameworks and actionable steps would strengthen the transition from annual operational planning to implementation.
They noted that improved coordination would directly impact service delivery at the grassroots level.
“When coordination works, healthcare facilities experience the difference. Medical supplies arrive on time, outreach programmes are implemented as scheduled, and healthcare workers can concentrate on delivering quality care,” a participant said.
