The Kwara State Government has received national recognition as the Best Performing State in the North-Central Zone at the 2025 Primary Health Care (PHC) Leadership Challenge.
Mrs Bukola Abdulganiyu, spokesperson for the Kwara State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday in Ilorin.
She said the 2025 award came with a 400,000-dollar grant, earmarked strictly for strengthening primary healthcare infrastructure and expanding access to essential services, in line with the guidelines of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF).
According to Abdulganiyu, the award is a testament to the administration’s unwavering commitment to advancing primary healthcare delivery for residents of the state.
She added that the achievement marked the third consecutive year Kwara State has received the prestigious honor.
The Executive Secretary of the agency, Prof. Nusirat Elelu, commended the governor for his visionary leadership, far-reaching reforms and sustained investment in strengthening the primary healthcare system.
“This award is yet another validation of the governor’s steadfast commitment to building a resilient, people-centred primary healthcare system in Kwara State.
“It takes visionary leadership to sustain such progress year after year, and His Excellency has continued to demonstrate that the health and wellbeing of Kwarans remain a core priority,” she said.
Elelu emphasized that primary healthcare remains the foundation and entry point of any effective health system.
She noted that the progress recorded in recent years reflected deliberate policy choices, increased funding, facility upgrades and improved coordination across the state’s 16 local government areas.
The executive secretary said the agency would deploy the grant to enhance service delivery, expand infrastructure and bring quality healthcare closer to communities across the state.
The PHC Leadership Challenge is a peer-review initiative designed to inspire sub-national governments to improve primary healthcare performance and strengthen accountability.
