Gombe, UNICEF Tackle Deprivation Among Children

Gombe State government and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have launched a coordinated effort to reduce multidimensional child poverty. This was prompted by a survey which revealed that seven of every 10 children in the state suffer multiple forms of deprivation.

The initiative formed the focus of a three-day stakeholders’ engagement workshop organised by the Gombe State Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning in partnership with UNICEF. The workshop brought together government officials, local government administrators and budget planners to review fresh data on child poverty and develop targeted interventions for each of the state’s 11 local government areas.

Opening the workshop, the ministry’s director of Administration and Finance, Musa Babaji, who represented the permanent secretary, said that addressing child poverty requires looking beyond household income to the broader challenges that limit children’s development.

He said that deprivation in education, healthcare, safe water, sanitation and other basic services continues to deny many children the opportunity to reach their full potential, urging stakeholders to use the survey’s evidence to prioritise investments where they are most needed.

UNICEF Chief of the Bauchi Field Office, Dr Nusrat Rafiq, said the partnership aims to help local governments translate data into practical policies and budgets that improve children’s lives.

She explained that multidimensional child poverty is often driven by inadequate public services rather than family income alone, stressing that children remain poor when they cannot access quality education, healthcare, nutrition, birth registration, clean water and sanitation.

According to Rafiq, the household survey, conducted across 4,950 households between 2024 and 2025, provides local government-specific evidence that will enable authorities to design interventions tailored to each community’s needs rather than adopting a one-size-fits-all approach.

“Our goal is to ensure that no child is left behind by helping every local government use this evidence to allocate resources more effectively and improve essential services for children,” she said.

Presenting the findings, Dr Ali Madina Dankumo of the Department of Economics and Development Studies at the Federal University, Kashere, said the survey revealed significant disparities across the state.

According to the data, Nafada recorded the highest incidence of multidimensional child poverty at 93.92 per cent, followed by Dukku (92.41 per cent) and Balanga (86.91 per cent). Yamaltu/Deba, Shongom, Kwami, Funakaye, Akko and Kaltungo also recorded high levels of deprivation. At the same time, Gombe Local Government Area had the lowest rate at 28.40 per cent, followed by Billiri at 42.07 per cent.

The stakeholders said the findings would serve as a roadmap for future planning and budgeting, with the state government and UNICEF seeking to direct resources to the most vulnerable communities and strengthen access to education, healthcare, nutrition, water, sanitation and other essential services for children.