The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the governments of Kano, Jigawa and Katsina States have begun drafting a new child development strategy under a five-year Country Programme Document (CPD) for 2028–2032 to tackle child poverty, malnutrition, poor learning outcomes and other challenges affecting millions of children across the three North-West states.
The strategy is being developed through a two-day consultation that commenced in Kano on Wednesday, bringing together senior government officials, development partners, civil society organisations and representatives of persons with disabilities to identify priority interventions that will shape UNICEF’s support to the three states during the next programme cycle.
Speaking at the opening session, the Chief of UNICEF Kano Field Office, Shafeeq Ur-Rehman, said the new programme would build on the achievements of the current 2023–2027 Country Programme while aligning with the development priorities of the federal government and the governments of Kano, Jigawa and Katsina states.
He said the consultations would assess progress in addressing multidimensional child poverty and identify practical strategies for responding to emerging challenges, including rapid urbanisation, climate change, technological transformation, economic pressures and insecurity.
“We are here to discuss and agree on the priorities for our next Country Programme from 2028 to 2032. This is an opportunity to assess where we stand in addressing multidimensional child poverty and deprivations and determine how best to respond over the next five years,” Ur-Rehman said.
According to him, the next programme will focus on strengthening government systems and promoting integrated interventions in health, education, nutrition, child protection, social protection, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), climate resilience and governance.
He added that the consultation was designed to ensure UNICEF’s future interventions are evidence-based, innovative and fully aligned with the priorities of the three participating states.
In his goodwill message, the Acting Permanent Secretary of the Kano State Ministry of Planning and Budget, Abdulmumin Ladan, described the consultation as a strategic opportunity to shape policies that would improve the well-being of children and adolescents across the North-West.
While acknowledging the progress made through the partnership between UNICEF and the state governments, Ladan said the region still faces significant challenges, including child malnutrition, learning poverty, inadequate healthcare services, poor access to safe water and sanitation, child protection concerns, climate-related vulnerabilities and socio-economic inequalities.
He urged participants to recommend practical, scalable and sustainable interventions that would strengthen public institutions, increase investment in the social sector and ensure that no child is left behind.
