Jigawa State Government has pledged its full support for the Federal Government’s Sector Wide Approach (SWAp) initiative, designed to consolidate all health budgetary allocations from federal to local government levels into a unified funding framework.
The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Abdullahi Kaimu, made this declaration during the opening session of a four-day capacity-building training for critical stakeholders in the state’s health sector held on Monday.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary of the State Ministry of Health, Dr. Kabiru Ibrahim, the commissioner described the initiative as a welcome development that would enhance efficiency, transparency, and accountability in public healthcare expenditure.
He explained that the SWAp program would also establish a platform for monitoring donor partners’ activities and aligning them with national and state health policies.
“After this meeting, the next step is to create a website that will consolidate all public health activities under One Plan, One Platform, One Implementation Mechanism, One Evaluation Mechanism, and One Funding Mechanism,” the commissioner stated.
Also speaking at the event, the representative of the Federal Ministry of Health, Mr. Gebiral Peter, emphasized that the SWAp initiative would integrate and streamline all public healthcare projects and programs to eliminate fragmentation in policy implementation.
“From anywhere, everyone can access the SWAp website to track activities at any health facility across Nigeria and assess expenditures,” he added.
According to him, the initiative will adopt a more robust approach to addressing healthcare challenges in Nigeria by strengthening coordination for better results.
In his remarks, the SWAp Coordinating Officer for Jigawa State and Special Adviser to the Governor, Dr. Atiku Hafizu, disclosed that 70 stakeholders were participating in the workshop.
He noted that the training would equip participants with the necessary knowledge about the program and clarify their roles in achieving its objectives.
