By Adi Angyu
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) said it will launch a new health program in Bauchi state before September, to support the state’s health sector for optimum performance.
USAID Mission Director in Nigeria, Mr. Michael Harvey said the agency is also working with the state’s education sector for many years where it has considerable successes in rebuilding the capacity of the Ministry of Education and its institutions.
Mr. Harvey who represented the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. James F. Entwistle during a state visit to the state, told Governor Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar that the partnership is to provide children the education and health they needed to succeed in the modern World.
The director appreciated the leadership governor Abubakar and his Government shown in priority to education and health in the 2016 state’s budget which, he described, as commendable despite the economic recession.
He recalled that USAID has for many years been supporting the state health sector, and reiterated its determination to continue with the program, hence the launching of the new health program to build on the successes the sector recorded.
According to him, they are working in collaboration with the State Commissioner of Health with the view to addressing major challenges facing the sector.
In his response, governor Abubakar expressed delight with the various interventions of the US Government through USAID in the state, especially the launching of the Northern Education Initiative (NEI)and the health programme which he described as very dear to the people of the state.
He explained that his administration has paid fifty percent counterpart fund in the Tripartite agreement entered into with Dangote and Bill and Melinda gate foundation.
Abubakar added that the administration has further allocated fifteen per cent of the 2016 proposed budget to the health sector, as well as the launched of five points health agenda in order to boost the sector in the state.
