International Development Partners Commend Nasarawa State Government For Strides In Family Planning
Some international development partners operating in Nasarawa State have commended the government of Engr. Abdullahi Sule for the positive strides made by the State in the area of family planning.
Speaking during a ceremony to mark the graduation of Nasarawa State from The Challenge Initiative (TCI) programme, Kojo Lokko the Executive Director of TCI, applauded the Nasarawa State Government for what he described as a warm working relationship.
He said: “Right from the onset, TCI experienced such warmth and comradeship from the State team. This translated into a good working relationship and partnership which brought very early results and this has been the signature of the program to date.
“I have been particularly impressed by Nasarawa’s trajectory over the past few years. This is not only due to this technical services. I will also like to call out the demonstration of leadership in the State in terms of supporting this program.”
He commended Nasarawa State for diligently following the necessary steps throughout the course of the partnership and assured that the TCI will remain a friend to Nasarawa State, always willing to render assistance whenever necessary.
Also speaking, Rodio Diallo a Senior Program Officer at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, said the foundation has been tracking the progress of Nasarawa State in the program and it is “excited about the remarkable improvement recorded in the State in terms of family planning uptake as well as domestic financing towards family planning.”
She commended the Nasarawa State Government for providing quality leadership and called for more efforts to ensure that women, children and families in Nasarawa State live optimally to attain the greatest potentials.
There were comments from Andrea Anschel of the Johns Hopkins University, Center for Communications Programs (JHUCCP) and Thomas Ohobu of the Breakthrough Action Nigeria (BA-N). They all applauded the strides made by the State in the area of family planning.
Speaking on behalf of the State Government, the Commissioner for Health Dr. Gaza Gwamna said expressed the appreciation of the government and people of Nasarawa State saying, “we are glad to have partnered with you for this period of time. I am glad that you can say that we have achieved some milestones. We have learnt a lot. We have been coached and we are able to coach others now.”
He said on its own, the State Government is already introducing some innovations to improve the health of the citizenry including the creation of a department of family health at the Ministry of Health.
He assured that Nasarawa State will continue to lead other States in the implementation of family planning programs.
On his part, the Executive Secretary, Nasarawa State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Mohammed Usman Adis spoke on some of the things the State has benefitted from the TCI to include the makeover of some health facilities in the State through the ‘72-Hour Clinic Makeover’ which according to him has been fully imbibed by his agency.
Dr. Adis also disclosed that through the TCI project, a budget line for family planning has been introduced into the Nasarawa State budget.
He assured that all the necessary mechanisms have been put in place to ensure the sustainability of the program.
