Celebrating Leadership in Primary Health Care in Nigeria: Gala and Award Night

On World Universal Health Coverage Day, December 12, 2024, the PHC Leadership Challenge Fund (PHC LCF2.0) Gala and Award Night brought together leaders, stakeholders, and development partners to celebrate the remarkable achievements of state governments in strengthening Primary Health Care (PHC) systems across Nigeria.

Organized by the Nigeria Governors Forum Secretariat (NGF) in collaboration with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and the Federal Ministry of Health(FMOH), with the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Aliko Dangote Foundation, and UNICEF Nigeria, the event announced over $7 million in performance-based awards to 12 states for their outstanding leadership in improving PHC delivery.

Mindset’s Contribution

As the Independent Verification Agent (IVA) for the PHC Leadership Challenge, Mindset played a critical role in ensuring the credibility and integrity of the results. The awards were grounded in verified, transparent, and measurable data that reflected each state’s progress and performance. Our contributions included:

- Nationwide Data Collection: Evaluating 1,098 PHC facilities across 36 states and the FCT.

- Stakeholder Engagement: Gathering insights from 26,971respondents to assess client satisfaction, facility infrastructure, and service delivery.

- Transparent Scoring: Developing a rigorous scoring methodology validated by an impartial judging panel to ensure fairness and accuracy.

Award Highlights

Best Overall State: Anambra State, led by Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, earned $1.2 million for its exceptional achievements, including:

• High client satisfaction rates.
• Availability of skilled birth attendants across facilities.
• Progress in reducing maternal, under-five, and neonatal mortality rates.

Other Zonal Winners:

• South-South: Rivers (Best) | Delta (Runner-Up)
• South-West: Osun (Best) | Lagos (Runner-Up)
• North-Central: Kwara (Best) | FCT (Runner-Up)
• North-East: Yobe (Best) | Gombe (Runner-Up)
• North-West: Kaduna (Best) | Jigawa (Runner-Up)

Collaboration for Impact

The Gala brought together key stakeholders who emphasized the power of leadership and partnerships in driving meaningful change:

• Chair of the NGF Governor of Anambra, His Excellency, Charles Chukwuma Soludo, highlighted the importance of the Seattle Declaration, where governors committed to implementing the PHC Under One Roof policy to improve governance, financing, and workforce development in the PHC system.
• Coordinating Minister of Health, Prof. Ali Pate, underscored progress in reducing under-five mortality rates and revitalizing health facilities, while calling for continued investment in healthcare.
• Vice President of Nigeria, Kashim Shettima, represented by Special Adviser Aliyu Modibbo Umar, praised the awardees and affirmed the government’s commitment to healthcare reform under President Bola Tinubu.

A Commitment to Universal Health Coverage

The PHC Leadership Challenge Fund is a testament to the power of healthy competition and evidence-based decision-making in driving progress.

Mindset is honored to have contributed to this initiative, ensuring that awards were based on verified data and measurable outcomes.

As we look ahead, we remain dedicated to advancing Universal Health Coverage and supporting sustainable improvements in healthcare systems in Nigeria and beyond.

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