The Al-Basar International Foundation (BIF) has reaffirmed its commitment to eliminating preventable blindness and expanding access to affordable eye care in Bauchi State through the launch of the SightQuest Nigeria Bauchi Programme.
The initiative was unveiled with support from Christoffel-Blindenmission (CBM) during an official ceremony attended by state Ministry of Health officials, community leaders, civil society organizations, journalists, and representatives of vulnerable groups.
Speaking at the event, BIF Regional Director Dr Moheildin Abdallah thanked the state government and stakeholders for the partnership opportunity to improve eye health services. He described the programme as a major step toward strengthening health sector collaboration and reducing avoidable blindness.
Abdallah noted that BIF began outreach activities in Bauchi in 1999 and established a specialized eye hospital in the state in 2009 to deliver comprehensive eye care. The foundation, created in 1989, is a non-governmental organization dedicated to preventing and treating blindness, especially in developing countries across Africa and Asia. Its regional office in Nigeria opened in 2004, though interventions in the country date back to 1994 via mobile eye care services.
READ ALSO: Roche, African leaders urge prioritizing cancer care as economic investment
“Our vision is to create a world free from preventable blindness where people can access affordable and sustainable eye care,” he said.
CBM Country Programme Manager Mr Micheal Idah explained that the organization—founded over a century ago as Christoffel-Blindenmission—has operated in Nigeria since 1968. As an international Christian development organisation, CBM focuses on improving the quality of life for persons with disabilities in poor and underserved communities through three core areas: Community-Based Inclusive Development, Inclusive Humanitarian Action, and Inclusive Health Action. It currently runs programmes in 21 Nigerian states to prevent disabilities and support those living with them.
CBM Regional Advisor Dr Kolawale Ogundimu highlighted the “Fight for Vision Quest 2035,” a 10-year programme aimed at significantly reducing avoidable blindness. The initiative seeks to boost effective cataract surgical coverage by 30 percentage points by 2035, with improved access to cataract surgery and vision care. Bauchi will be the first beneficiary state.
Ogundimu disclosed that the project plans to perform over 20,000 cataract surgeries within five years, distribute more than 60,000 pairs of spectacles, and screen approximately 600,000 people for eye conditions.
Inaugurating the programme, Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed (represented by Commissioner for Health Dr Sani Mohammed) described the initiative as a landmark intervention. He commended partners—including CBM, Al-Basar International Foundation, the World Health Organization (WHO), and UNICEF—for supporting the government’s healthcare efforts.
The governor highlighted the state’s health sector priorities since taking office: declaring a state of emergency in health, allocating over 15 per cent of the budget to the sector, and recruiting more than 3,000 healthcare workers. He expressed confidence that the partnership would expand access to quality eye care and enhance residents’ well-being across Bauchi State.
This version eliminates redundancy, corrects minor grammatical issues (e.g., consistent spelling of “Christoffel-Blindenmission”/CBM, smoother quote integration), improves sentence variety and flow, and maintains a professional tone while preserving all key facts and quotes.
