By Nura Sokoto
The Sokoto State Government has commended the technical support provided by the Challenge Initiative (TCI) to the state’s health system, describing its interventions as critical to strengthening family planning services and improving overall healthcare delivery.
The Executive Secretary of the Sokoto State Primary Health Care Development Agency (SSPHCDA), Dr. Bilyaminu Yari Sifawa, gave the commendation during the Adolescent and Young People Technical Working Group meeting held at the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) in Sokoto.
Dr. Sifawa said TCI’s contributions to the state’s family planning programme had gone beyond reproductive health, promoting accountability, state ownership and evidence-based resource allocation within the health sector.
He noted that the State Ministry of Health and the SSPHCDA had consistently supported initiatives aimed at addressing adolescent health challenges and improving access to quality healthcare services for young people.
The Executive Secretary also appreciated the support of development partners and organisations, particularly TCI, for their sustained commitment to the state’s health programmes. He urged other partners to emulate TCI’s efforts in supporting the government’s healthcare agenda.
Speaking on behalf of the Executive Secretary, the Director of Community Health Services and Family Planning at the agency, Alhaji Abubakar Muhammad Kaura, who chaired the meeting, acknowledged the contributions of development partners, saying their support had significantly enhanced the agency’s programmes and interventions.
Also speaking, the TCI State Strategy Lead, Dr. Bello Kilgori, briefed participants on the organisation’s interventions over the past three years. He explained that the TCI 2030 inception meeting, facilitated by the leadership of the SSPHCDA at the State Emergency Operations Centre, marked the beginning of a new phase of technical assistance to the state.
According to him, the TCI 2030 initiative is anchored on the slogan, “Doing More with Less,” which focuses on consolidating existing achievements while promoting innovative, sustainable and high-impact health interventions.
The meeting, attended by government officials, non-state actors and development partners, reviewed previous TCI investments in the state’s family planning programme, assessed achievements recorded and discussed strategies for sustaining progress under the new technical assistance framework.
Participants expressed appreciation for TCI’s contributions, describing them as instrumental to the ongoing state-led health system transformation.
In her presentation, the Adolescent Desk Officer of the agency, Zarau Abubakar, highlighted the objectives and achievements of her unit in promoting adolescent health and development.
She said the unit continues to collaborate with relevant stakeholders to ensure accurate data collection, management and utilisation for effective planning and decision-making. She thanked participants for their commitment and urged them to sustain the momentum in advancing adolescent health programmes across the state.
