NGF Unveils $6.1 Million Awards for States Leading in Primary Healthcare
The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has unveiled a $6.1 million award fund to recognise and reward states that demonstrate outstanding performance in primary healthcare delivery. The initiative is part of the Primary Health Care (PHC) Leadership Challenge Awards, aimed at improving health outcomes and strengthening health systems across Nigeria.
NGF Chairman and Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq explained that the awards are intended to celebrate exceptional leadership by state governors in advancing primary healthcare services. According to the forum, the initiative promotes accountability, results-oriented governance, and better healthcare for citizens at the grassroots level.
The PHC Leadership Challenge Awards will present several prizes across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones and at the national level. Each zone will recognise both the best-performing state and the most improved state in primary healthcare delivery, while one overall national award will be presented to the top-performing state. States that win will receive cash prizes from the $6.1 million pool to reinvest in their primary healthcare systems.
The programme is organised by the NGF in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, and development partners including UNICEF and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. It builds on the goals of the Seattle Declaration, which was adopted by all 36 state governors to accelerate progress in Nigeria’s primary healthcare sector.
An independent panel of judges — comprised of public health experts, academics, and civil society representatives — will assess state performances using a jointly developed Performance Monitoring Framework. Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony in Abuja.
Officials say the awards are designed to reinforce political ownership of primary healthcare outcomes, encourage healthy competition and peer learning among states, and drive measurable improvements in key health indicators, especially for women, children, and vulnerable populations. Strengthening primary healthcare is widely seen as essential to improving access to quality services, reducing preventable diseases, and achieving broader health sector goals.
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