By Sadiq S. Malami
The Zero Dose Learning Hub (ZDLH) Community of Practice (CoP) in Sokoto has convened its third quarterly review meeting, bringing together key health stakeholders to assess progress in reducing the number of zero-dose children and to draft the 2025 Immunization Budget Scorecard for the state.
The meeting, held under the coordination of the Africa Health Budget Network (AHBN), was declared open by the National Coordinator and Chief Executive of AHBN, Dr Aminu Magashi Garba, who commended the members of the CoP for their dedication and consistency in driving accountability within the health sector.
Dr Magashi emphasized that the meeting’s primary focus was to formulate the 2025 Budget Scorecard for Sokoto State, urging participants to remain committed as the fiscal year draws to a close.
He noted that early budget formulation and evidence-based advocacy are vital for ensuring the release of funds allocated to immunization and other essential health services.
“The aim is to ensure that Sokoto State concludes its 2025 budget process with clear commitments to release immunization and MoU funds on time,” Dr. Magashi said. “When this happens, we strengthen service delivery, rebuild trust in the health system, and move closer to the goal of zero zero-dose children.”
During the presentation of the 2023/2024 Scorecard, the State Focal Person for AHBN and ZDLH in Sokoto, Mallam Umar Garba Kadi, highlighted a significant increase in budgetary allocation to the health sector, particularly immunization.
However, he noted that the absence of corresponding releases had limited implementation and hindered routine immunization services targeting children aged 0–23 months.
Participants later broke into technical groups to brainstorm and co-create the 2025 scorecard, aligning their priorities with state and national health objectives.
The discussions centred on four key areas: budget summary, health financing and accountability, service delivery, and transparency.
The Sokoto ZDLH CoP continues to serve as a learning platform for sharing innovations and experiences among state-level actors, with the goal of improving the sustainability and equity of immunization financing.
