Kano raises concern over delayed release of approved funds as 2026 nears end

The Kano State Ministry of Planning and Budget has raised concerns over the poor and delayed release of approved funds across the state, warning that the situation could undermine the implementation of critical programmes, particularly in the health sector.

The ministry’s Director of Donor Support, Labaran Abdul Ajumawa, disclosed this during an advocacy visit to disseminate findings from the 2026 Mid-Year Health and Immunisation Budget Tracking (January–June), supported by the Better Opportunities for Optimal Services and Targeted Immunisation for Zero-Dose and Under-immunised Children (BOOST) Project, implemented by Save the Children International with support from GSK.

The delegation, led by the project’s Advocacy Policy Officer, Umar Ibrahim Umar, included the Chairman of the Kano State Community of Practice on Immunisation Budget Tracking, Advocacy and Accountability (KN-CoP), Salisu Yusuf, media representatives and other stakeholders.

Ajumawa said the challenge of delayed fund releases was not limited to the health sector, attributing the situation to administrative bottlenecks and governance gaps despite available liquidity in the state treasury.

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He also identified poor preparation of fund-release memos by some government agencies as a challenge, urging the BOOST Project to support capacity-building for health officials on effective memo writing and funding justification.

Stakeholders at the meeting called for targeted policy briefs and direct engagement with key officials, including the Commissioners for Finance and Health and the Accountant General, to address barriers to accessing approved allocations.

They also agreed to engage the leadership of the Kano State Primary Health Care Management Board and other health parastatals to determine why some approved 2026 allocations remained unaccessed as the year entered its final quarter.

Ajumawa stressed the need for stronger collaboration between civil society organisations and government officials to overcome bureaucratic hurdles and improve budget implementation.

He further warned that the performance of government agencies in the remaining months of 2026 would influence their 2027 budget allocations, urging proper tagging of health-sector line items to strengthen tracking, access and implementation.

The BOOST Project is supporting advocacy efforts in Kano to strengthen the health system and improve targeted immunisation for zero-dose and under-immunised children.