The United Kingdom has reaffirmed its long-term commitment to supporting development and reforms in Kano and Jigawa states, following high-level engagements between officials of the British High Commission and the two state governments.

The engagements, led by the Head of Development Cooperation at the British High Commission in Abuja, Cynthia Rowe, focused on strengthening partnerships aimed at improving governance, health systems, education, agriculture, climate financing and private sector investment in northern Nigeria.

The British High Commission, in a statement, said the meetings with governors, senior government officials and civil society leaders reflected the UK’s modern approach to development, which prioritises state-led ownership and sustainable reforms driven through investment, trade, climate financing, technical support and joint accountability.

The commission noted that Nigeria remains one of the United Kingdom’s most important development partners, adding that the engagements further reinforced the bilateral relationship recently highlighted during the UK-Nigeria state visit.

In Kano state, Rowe met with the Deputy Governor, Murtala Sule Garo, and other senior officials, including the newly-confirmed Head of Civil Service and the Secretary to the State Government.

The visit acknowledged Kano’s progress in climate finance, health system reforms and private sector investment, which the UK said had been supported through technical assistance programmes.

In Jigawa state, Rowe held talks with Gov. Umar Namadi and heads of key ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).

The discussions celebrated over 25 years of partnership between the UK and Jigawa, described as one of the longest bilateral development relationships at the subnational level in Nigeria.

The meeting also reviewed the state’s progress in health system reforms, agriculture and governance, as well as future areas of collaboration under UK-supported technical assistance programmes.

The British High Commission highlighted the impact of some of its intervention programmes across northern Nigeria.

It said the PLANE education programme had, since 2022, supported Kano, Kaduna and Jigawa in strengthening state-led education delivery systems through ministries of education, state universal basic education boards and other agencies.

According to the commission, the programme’s RANA+ foundational learning packages have reached 1.4 million pupils across the three states between 2022 and 2026.

Speaking at the end of the visit, Rowe said the UK remained committed to working with state governments and communities to deepen reforms and improve livelihoods.

“For more than 25 years, we have worked side by side with state governments, including Jigawa and Kano, their communities, and civil society to build stronger health systems, improve learning outcomes for millions of children, support farmers to grow their businesses, and help states attract the investment they need to thrive,” she said.