FIC Report (Kaduna State) – The Kaduna State Deputy Governor, Dr. Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe, received a delegation from the Gates Foundation led by the Deputy Director, Health Systems Strengthening, Dr. Nkata Chuku, as part of preparations for the August visit of the Foundation’s President, Africa and India Office, to Kaduna and Kano States.
The meeting reviewed ongoing collaborations between Kaduna State and the Foundation, while providing updates on reforms being undertaken by the Gates Foundation to streamline its interventions, strengthen coordination, and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of resource utilisation.
Speaking during the meeting, Dr. Chuku explained that the Foundation’s renewed strategy will focus on three priority areas: preventing maternal and under-five deaths, ending deaths from infectious diseases, and reducing poverty.
He disclosed that the reforms will introduce an Execution Grant to enable governments accelerate implementation of key decisions by reducing bureaucratic delays.
He also announced the establishment of Service Delivery and Intelligence Units (SDIUs) to provide technical assistance, strengthen institutional capacity, facilitate knowledge transfer, and support the Kaduna State Ministry of Health with a state-of-the-art Data Intelligence Unit staffed by skilled professionals.
In her remarks, Dr. Balarabe described Kaduna State as a long-standing partner of the Gates Foundation, noting that the Foundation is currently funding many interventions across the health, nutrition, agriculture, and poverty reduction sectors. She welcomed the reforms aimed at aligning the Foundation’s investments for greater impact and effective coordination.
The Deputy Governor appealed for the inclusion of mental health among the Foundation’s priority areas, citing recent findings by the Kaduna State Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency (KADSEMHSA), which revealed a significant incidence of suicidal thoughts among pregnant women in parts of the state, underscoring the need for targeted interventions.
The meeting was attended by the Commissioner of Health, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, and heads of key state health agencies. It provided an opportunity to review ongoing programmes and agree on priority issues ahead of the August visit of the President, Africa and India Office of the Gates Foundation.
Signed:
Muhammad Gwani
AD FIRC KADUNA
6th July,2026.
