Why Zamfara Partnered UN Agencies – Commissioner

Zamfara State government has ensured robust collaboration with United Nations agencies and other donors to implement effective programmes that will improve citizens’ well-being.

The state commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Alhaji Abdulmalik Abubakar-Gajam, who disclosed this to journalists in Sokoto, said the state was confronted with challenges and needed collaborative support, noting that the past administration chased away donor agencies.

“When the incumbent administration assumed duty, Governor Dauda Lawal made a strategic approach to address the challenges. He invited agencies and strengthened relationships.

“Zamfara state had designed Medium Term Expenditure Framework (M-TEF) for the first time and collaborated with United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) on a 10-year-strategic plan to develop the state.

“The present administration declared a state of emergency in the health, education, and agricultural sectors with higher budget allocations.

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“The education sector obtained about N55 billion in allocation to ensure that more than 20,000 students sitting at home without writing their final year secondary school examination got the opportunity.

‘’A model Almajiiri school was inaugurated by the present administration within a short period to address the out-of-school children and increased enrollment,’’ he said.

The commissioner added that there was no functional general hospital and equipment when they took over with a dearth of workforce and expertise because patients die due to poor services.

‘’Only 108 medical doctors cater for 5.8 million people in 147 political wards of the state before Lawal’s administration. However, the present administration allocated N33 billion to health, translating into upgrading many primary healthcare centres to General Hospitals and transforming many to state-of-the-art health facilities,’’ he added.

He further explained that 19,000 farmers were supported. With inputs, 600 communities benefited from livestock business support, while 10,000 persons obtained N50,000 cash transfers to enhance their livelihoods.

According to him, the international agencies assisted the state in developing an improved standard social register, which captured all categories of vulnerable, making it easy to access genuine support directly without intermediaries’ interference.

‘’With donor’s support, the state currently has Social Protection and Child Protection Laws which guarantee equitable and equality policies friendly to women, children and physically challenged persons.

‘’The relationships have strengthened access to World Bank grants having complied with the operational guideline of paying back after project execution,’’ he said.