The Kano State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening healthcare delivery through a structured and accountable process, as it partners with a Gates Foundation–supported initiative to improve services at the primary healthcare (PHC) level across the state.

The initiative, a national health reform programme implemented by the International Budget Partnership (IBP), focuses on improving transparency and credibility in health budgeting with the aim of reducing maternal, neonatal and child mortality in Kano.

Speaking at the opening of a two-day PHC Fiscal Governance and Budget Credibility Inception Meeting, IBP Country Director, Yinka Babalola, said the programme is designed to strengthen supervision and coordination in healthcare interventions across the PHC system.

Babalola explained that IBP is working closely with the Kano State Government through existing structures to improve budget predictability, information flow and follow-through across the primary healthcare value chain.

According to her, the Fiscal Governance and Budget Credibility initiative is intended to enhance basic healthcare delivery by ensuring compliance with performance-linked incentives.

“This is not about teaching anyone their job. It is about ensuring that once one institution completes its role, the next step happens clearly and on time, so services do not stall between offices,” she said.

She noted that primary healthcare in Kano is funded through multiple sources, including the state budget, the Basic Health Care Provision Fund, local government allocations and reform-linked financing.

“While these funds serve the same purpose, they pass through different offices, approval processes and timelines. When coordination breaks down at any point, health facilities experience delays, stalled activities or missed opportunities to improve care,” she added.

Responding, the Kano State Commissioner for Health, Dr Abubakar Labaran Yusuf, said the state government is aligning its budgetary provisions to strengthen primary healthcare services and improve health outcomes.

“We know Kano has poor indices in maternal mortality, neonatal mortality, child mortality and immunisation coverage. Since we came in, a lot has changed and the narrative is improving. Maternal mortality has dropped significantly—almost by half of what we inherited. Child mortality and immunisation coverage are also improving,” he said.

Dr Yusuf identified coordination among ministries as a major challenge, stressing the need for collective action to fully benefit from federal health initiatives such as the HOPE project.

“All ministries must key in to ensure Kano maximally benefits from HOPE, including all disbursement-linked indicators and gateways, so that what is meant for Kano comes to Kano through collective effort,” he said.

However, the Director-General of the Kano State Primary Health Care Management Board, Professor Salisu Ahmad Ibrahim, expressed concern over persistent gaps in PHC service delivery, citing shortages of qualified health personnel, essential medicines and functional laboratory services.