The African Health Budget Network, together with Gavi’s Zero-Dose Learning Hub, shared a report with the Sokoto State Government, donor groups, and other important partners in the state.
During the event, Umar Garba Khadi, who represents the African Health Budget Network in Sokoto, explained that the report will help the government and donors know how much money to set aside for vaccines and immunization programs.
He pointed out that Sokoto faces many problems with vaccination. One big problem, he said, is that the government does not release funds on time, or the funds are not enough. This makes it hard to reach children who haven’t received any vaccines at all.
Khadi said they are working closely with other partners to fix these problems. He believes that with time, the Zero-Dose Learning Hub project will bring good results in the state.
Sarajo DanBaba, from the Sokoto Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, admitted that mistakes were made in the past. But he said these have been fixed in the 2024 budget.
He promised that the ministry will solve the remaining issues before the current quarter ends.
DanBaba explained that the budgeting problems were partly due to the recent change in government. But he assured that the ministry is now working hard to fix everything.
Speaking to reporters, Nasiru Abubakar, who leads the state’s Emergency and Routine Immunization program, said they brought stakeholders together to look at the report and find ways to improve the immunization system.
He added that if everyone works together and past mistakes are corrected, the 2025 health budget could meet the needs of the people.
Bello Gwadabawa, leader of the Coalition of NGOs in Sokoto, said many children in the state have not received any vaccines. He urged the government to work with all groups to solve the problem.
He also mentioned that insecurity in some areas makes it hard for health workers to reach every child, which increases the number of children who miss vaccinations.
The report (or scorecard) asked the Sokoto State Government to make sure funds for primary health care are released on time and in full.
It also recommended increasing the 2025 immunization budget to at least 60 percent of what is needed, since only 40 percent of the required funds were released in 2024. The report said last year’s funding for health was not enough.
