Dangote and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundations with support from the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) has renewed partnership with Kano State government to strengthen universal healthcare delivery in the state.

The partnership, which is anchored on effective and efficient healthcare management system, is central to implementation of minimum health service provision at the primary health centres and it would run between 2022 and 2026.

The over N1.5billion naira capital intervention funding that would be galvanised with counterpart financing from the state government, specifically focus on six critical health areas, including maternal and newborn health, nutrition, malaria, family planning and integrated management of health and childhood illness.

Unveiling the implementation of the new partnership with the signing of Memorandum of Understand addendum at Kano Government House, Chief Executive Officer, Dangote Foundation, Zouera Youssoufou, said the foundation is committed to achieving the fundamental objectives of the MoU.

Zouera, however, urged the state government to optimise capacity of health workers at PHC’s and ensure accountability of resources, as well as fast track the implementation of minimum health service package at the lower healthcare centres.

She explained that it is important to note that while the previous MoU on health have yielded relative progress, achieving target on maternal and child health death is still not visible.

She, however, urged stakeholders including traditional and religious leaders to take ownership of the project for maximum gains.

Country Director, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Dr. Jeremie Zoungrana, believed the new project will strengthen low indicators in the healthcare system in the state.

While assuring the commitment of the Gates Foundation to fulfil the counterparts intervention, Zoungrana advised Kano State government to adhere to recommendation made during the technical review meeting, especially in the area of technical optimisation.

Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje applauded the partners for the support to strengthen healthcare system in Kano.

Although, Ganduje stressed that conditions and implementation strategy for the health MoU addendum III are ambitious, he pledged his administration’s commitment to fulfill the counterpart funding to achieve the set objectives.

Ganduje reminded that Kano made tremendous achievement in the implementation of the addendum II with sustained funding for all the RI programme activities.

He added that government commitment to improve healthcare was equally justified with the recent award of the most improved state on COVID-19 vaccination at the 2022 at the African Vaccination Week and Award Ceremony organised by the Federal Government.