UNICEF, Katsina Govt. sign 3-year work plan for children’s wellbeing
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Katsina State Government has signed a three-year work plan (2025 to 2027), to enhance the wellbeing of children in the state.
The UNICEF Chief of Field Office, Kano, Mr Rahama Mohammed-Farah, made this known at the signing of the plan on Thursday in Katsina.
He said the work plan was not just a document, but a testament to the shared vision for a brighter future for every child in Katsina State.
Mohammed-Farah was represented at the occasion by the UNICEF Health Manager, Dr Sereke Seyoum-Deres.
He said that the work plan covered the health, nutrition, education, child protection, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sectors, and social policy.
“Children are the future of this great nation, and investing in their wellbeing is not only a moral imperative, but a strategic decision that will yield long-term dividends for the state’s development,” he said.
The field officer said that polio virus remained a significant threat to children’s health in the state, adding “eradicating polio must be our top priority in 2025”.
“We must dedicate all our efforts and resources to mobilising communities, raising awareness, and ensuring that every corner of Katsina is reached.
“The aim is to encourage parents to vaccinate their children.
“The Katsina Government must take the lead at the ward, district, and local government levels to address vaccine refusals,” he added.
Mohammed-Farah urged the state government to leverage its own resources, explore public-private partnerships, and strengthen community-based initiatives to ensure that no child was left behind.
On reducing the growing number of out-of-school children, he said the government should improve the quality of early learning and increase school readiness from primary school level.
He said that UNICEF would remain committed to supporting the Katsina government to ensure that the remaining seven local governments attained Open Defecation Free (ODF) status, to be declared an ODF state.
Mohammed-Farah requested the government to prioritise child sensitive social protection interventions to combat multiple deprivations amongst children in both rural and urban areas.
In his remarks, Katsina state Governor, Dikko Radda, said the partnership underscored the government’s commitment to improving the lives and wellbeing of children in the state.
He said the government would continue to focus on children’s education, in recognition of the critical role it plays in nation building.
Radda said that his administration had expended over N100 billion in the education sector on teachers recruitment, support to science and technical education, scholarship award and schools construction among others.
