By Asma’u Ahmad
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has increased its development funding in Kebbi State from N1billion to N3.8billion in the past three years.
The UNICEF Zonal Chief Field Officer, Mr Mohammed Mohhiuddin, told newsmen in Birnin Kebbi on Monday that the fund was supporting child and maternal health care, education, nutrition, poverty eradication, water and sanitation.
Mr Mohhiuddin was in Birnin Kebbi for the mid-year year review and planning meeting with stakeholders. He said the state had released N300 million as counterpart funding, while 50 per cent of the UNICEF funds would be used to enhance child education, adding that Qatar had also donated 75million US dollars.
He said nine local government areas would benefit from the education development programme, while three councils would be assisted on child and maternal health care.
According to him the state government had demonstrated commitment to the programme, stressing that efforts would be jointly intensified to eliminate wastages in the execution of the programme.
The Secretary to the state government, Alhaji Babale Yauri, who declared the meeting open, said the state would sustain its counterpart funding, considering the benefits from the UNICEF support.
The state Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, commended UNICEF for its support to the state development and assured that the state’s commitment would be sustained.
