The European Union (EU) and Kwara State Government are strengthening efforts to improve reproductive and adolescent healthcare in the State.
The push is aimed at improving health services, workforce capacity, family planning and community engagement while addressing gaps in healthcare delivery.
The development followed a two-day mission by an EU delegation led by Massimo De Luca, Head of Partnerships at the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, which began with a meeting with top officials of the Kwara State Government, according to a statement by the EU.
The EU and the dtate Government took stock of progress under the EU-supported health interventions, as a visiting EU team assesses results on the ground and explores opportunities for deeper cooperation.
De Luca said the mission offered an opportunity to assess how cooperation was translating into results for communities. ‘It is very important that we take stock, and we see how we are moving together,’ he said.
According to the statement, abkey focus of the visit is the EU-funded Strengthening Access to Reproductive and Adolescent Health (EU-SARAH) programme, implemented by UNICEF and UNFPA in collaboration with Nigerian government institutions.
The four-year programme operates in Adamawa, Kwara and Sokoto states, supporting reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health and contributing to Nigeria’s progress towards universal health coverage.
In Kwara, the programme is supporting stronger health services, workforce capacity, family planning, data use and community engagement, with particular attention to women, children and adolescents.
De Luca said the partnership also placed importance on domestic investment and government ownership as EU support grows.
‘With the growing budget from our side, we would also like to understand how much Kwara is investing and delivering to the health sector,’ he said.
AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Governor of the state, who was represented by Deputy Governor Kayode Alabi. said the state would continue working with partners to strengthen coordination, use evidence to guide decisions and increase its own contribution to health services.
‘Kwara State Government is committed to working with you on practical steps to strengthen coordination, use evidence to guide decisions, and increase the state’s contribution,’ he said.
Amina El-Imam, Kwara State Commissioner for Health, said EU-SARAH was helping the state strengthen services while identifying areas requiring further investment.
‘The EU-SARAH emphasis on service quality, workforce capacity, community engagement and overall system strengthening has helped us identify gaps and direct resources,’ she said.
She highlighted improvements in health infrastructure, referrals, family planning and services for adolescents and young people, as well as the state’s counterpart funding for family planning commodities.