The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the governments of Kano, Jigawa and Katsina States have commenced consultations to develop a five-year country programme document for 2028–2032, aimed at tackling child poverty, malnutrition, poor learning outcomes and other challenges affecting millions of children across the three states.
The two-day consultation, which began in Kano on Wednesday, brought together senior government officials, development partners, civil society organisations and representatives of persons with disabilities to identify priority interventions that will guide UNICEF’s support to the states over the next programme cycle.
Speaking at the opening session, the Chief of UNICEF Kano Field Office, Shafeeq Ur-Rehman, said the new programme would build on the current 2023–2027 country programme and align with the development priorities of the federal government and the three state governments.
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He said the consultations would review progress made in addressing multidimensional child poverty and identify practical strategies for responding to emerging challenges, including rapid urbanisation, climate change, technological transformation, economic pressures and insecurity.
“We are here to discuss and agree on the priorities for our next country programme from 2028 to 2032. This is an opportunity to assess where we stand in addressing multidimensional child poverty and deprivations and determine how best to respond over the next five years,” Ur-Rehman said.
He stressed that the next programme would focus on strengthening government systems and promoting integrated interventions in health, education, nutrition, child protection, social protection, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), climate resilience and governance.
According to him, the consultation is intended to ensure that UNICEF’s future interventions are evidence-based, innovative and fully aligned with the priorities of the three states.
In his goodwill message, the acting Permanent Secretary, Kano State Ministry of Planning and Budget, Abdulmumin Ladan, described the consultation as a strategic opportunity to shape policies that would improve the lives of children and adolescents across the North-West.
He noted that despite progress recorded through the partnership between UNICEF and state governments, the region continued to face major challenges, including child malnutrition, learning poverty, inadequate healthcare services, poor access to safe water and sanitation, child protection concerns, climate-related vulnerabilities and socio-economic inequalities.
Ladan urged participants to recommend practical, scalable and sustainable interventions capable of strengthening public institutions, improving social sector investments and ensuring that no child is left behind.
