UNICEF engages Kano, Jigawa, Katsina on future child development priorities

By Umar Idris Shuaibu

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called on governments and relevant stakeholders to adopt a coordinated, multi-sectoral approach to addressing the numerous challenges affecting children, stressing that issues relating to child welfare are interconnected and require collaborative solutions.

The appeal was made by the Chief of UNICEF Kano Field Office, Shafeeq Ur-Rehman, during a regional consultation on the development of the Federal Government of Nigeria/UNICEF Country Programme Document (CPD) 2028–2032, held in Kano and attended by stakeholders from Kano, Jigawa and Katsina States.

Ur-Rehman described the consultation as a critical step in designing UNICEF’s next five-year Country Programme, noting that it was his first major engagement with stakeholders since assuming office in Kano.

He said the exercise was aimed at ensuring that the new programme reflects the priorities of state governments while aligning with their development plans, sectoral strategies and the aspirations of communities.

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According to him, challenges confronting children—including education, healthcare, nutrition, child protection, social protection, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), climate resilience and governance—are closely linked and require integrated interventions rather than isolated responses.

He commended the governments of Kano, Jigawa and Katsina States for their continued partnership with UNICEF and their commitment to improving the lives of children, emphasizing that sustainable development outcomes can only be achieved through strong government leadership, strategic partnerships and collective ownership.

Ur-Rehman noted that the 2028–2032 Country Programme is being developed at a period when children are facing increasingly complex challenges driven by rapid population growth, urbanisation, climate change, economic pressures, insecurity, technological transformation and evolving social realities.

He stressed that the new programme must remain innovative, flexible and resilient enough to respond to both existing and emerging challenges affecting children over the next five years.

The UNICEF official said the consultation was designed to build a shared understanding of child rights issues affecting Kano, Jigawa and Katsina States, identify systemic bottlenecks, explore innovative and scalable solutions, and generate strategic recommendations that will shape UNICEF’s future interventions in the region.

He encouraged participants to make evidence-based contributions, noting that the success of the next Country Programme would depend on meaningful collaboration among governments, development partners, civil society organisations and local communities.

In his goodwill message, the Acting Permanent Secretary of the Kano State Ministry of Planning and Budget, Abdulmumin Ajumawa, reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to sustaining its longstanding partnership with UNICEF in promoting the welfare of children, adolescents and other vulnerable groups.

He identified child malnutrition, learning poverty, limited access to quality healthcare, inadequate water and sanitation services, child protection concerns, climate-related vulnerabilities and socio-economic inequalities as major development challenges requiring coordinated and people-centred interventions.

Ajumawa emphasized the need to align the interventions of development partners with government priorities, noting that effective collaboration should be driven by evidence-based planning, stronger institutions, efficient resource utilisation and sustained investment in programmes that deliver measurable outcomes for children.

He commended UNICEF for its continued support in critical sectors, including health, nutrition, education, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), child protection, social policy and emergency response, saying the partnership has strengthened government systems and improved development outcomes across the state.

According to him, the consultation provides an opportunity for stakeholders to review past achievements, assess lessons learned and develop practical, innovative and sustainable solutions to the persistent challenges facing children across Northwest Nigeria.

The consultation brought together commissioners, permanent secretaries, directors of ministries, departments and agencies, development partners, civil society organisations and other stakeholders from Kano, Jigawa and Katsina States to identify strategic priorities that will guide the implementation of the Federal Government of Nigeria/UNICEF Country Programme Document for 2028–2032.