By Muhammad Amaan
The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) said states with outstanding performance in primary healthcare delivery will receive a total of $6.1 million through the third edition of its Primary HealthCare (PHC) Leadership Challenge Awards.
NGF Chairman, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State, announced this while unveiling the third edition of the awards scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m. in Abuja.
A statement issued on Thursday by the NGF Director of Media and Strategic Communications, Yunusa Abdullahi, quoted Governor AbdulRazaq as describing the PHC Leadership Challenge as a national initiative that rewarded exceptional leadership by state governors.
He said the initiative recognised efforts aimed at strengthening primary healthcare services across the country.
The initiative is organised by the NGF in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and UNICEF, with support from the Gates Foundation.
Governor AbdulRazaq said the challenge had become a symbol of what strong and accountable leadership could achieve in Nigeria’s health system.
“It celebrates results, rewards performance, and ultimately delivers better care for our people,” he said.
According to him, 13 awards will be presented at the event, two awards per geopolitical zone covering ‘Best Performing’ and ‘Most Improved’ states, and one national award for the Overall Best Performing State.
“The award fund for this edition is 6.1 million dollars. Winning states will reinvest their allocations directly into strengthening PHC systems,” he added.
He said the challenge was rooted in the Seattle Declaration of 2019, which was unanimously adopted by all 36 state governors and served as a catalyst for stronger governance, improved financing and greater accountability in the PHC sector.
AbdulRazaq explained that governors were assessed using a Performance Monitoring Framework jointly developed by PHC stakeholders and endorsed by all states through their commissioners for health.
“The independent judging panel consists of eminent public health professionals, academics, religious and traditional leaders, media representatives and civil society organisations.
“These teams review assessments conducted by independent verification agents recruited through the United Nations’ rigorous selection process,” he said.
The PHC Leadership Challenge aims to fast-track commitments under the Seattle Declaration, reinforce political ownership of PHC outcomes, improve transparency, promote peer learning and track state progress under the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative Compact.
