By Victor Christopher
Efforts are underway by the Kano State Government to enhance access to healthcare services, particularly to reduce avoidable deaths across the state.
The government also reiterated its commitment to revitalising agriculture and improving the education sector as part of a broader initiative to strengthen development at the grassroots level.
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The State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Alh. Tajo Othman, made this known at the opening of a three-day workshop in Kaduna.
The workshop, organised by the Ministry for Local Government & Chieftaincy Affairs with support from Markets and Systems Advisory, in collaboration with the Partnership for Agile Governance and Climate Engagement (PACE), was to develop a five-year local government development plan.
Represented by Ali Sani Faragai, Director of Recruitment, Training and Retirement in the Ministry, Othman noted that the final plan will be captured in the state’s budget.
The workshop brought together 98 participants, including Heads of Departments from 44 local governments, Planning Research and Statistics PRS representatives, Forum Chairmen, and Secretaries.
Also, officials from the ministries of health, agriculture, and works, ALGON leadership, NOLGE, and the SSA on local government matters, among others are among the participants.
The Assitant Planning Officer of the Ministry, Garba Bello Ibrahim buttressed Faragai point, stressing that the workshop aimed to address the plight residents in the State.
A facilitator, Habiba Isiyaku Njidda of PACE, stressed the organisation’s commitment to embedding key service delivery issues into the planning framework.
Njidda urged stakeholders to “integrate climate action into their plans” to help LGAs confront growing climate change-related challenges.
Another facilitator, Mukhtar Ado Yakasai who presenting a paper on “Key Development Challenges at the Local Government Level, identified “financial constraints, human resource deficiencies, infrastructure decay, and weak autonomy” as major hurdles.
He highlighted opportunities such as Kano’s commercial strength, agricultural potential, demographic advantage, and emerging technologies.
He emphasised the importance of “securing stakeholder buy-in, mobilising resources, and fostering accountability” to ensure the success of local government development plans.
He also stressed prioritisation strategies that include community participation, resource feasibility, alignment with broader policies, and sustainable impact.
Also speaking at the workshop, the Director of People with Disabilities at the Ministry of Women Affairs, Children, and the Disabled Dr. Binta Bala emphasised the importance of inclusive planning.
She called on stakeholders to ensure “women, children, and persons with disabilities are not left out of the development agenda.
Also speaking, Civil Society representative Dr. Abdussalam Kani urged stakeholders to reflect the unique needs of each senatorial zone.”
He recommended that Kano North focus on agriculture, Kano South address the problem of out-of-school girls and leverage irrigation due to the presence of dams, while Kano Central should prioritise urban planning and environmental management.
At the workshop, participants were divided into groups based on LGAs clusters to senatorial districts due to their peculiar challenges during the workshop to draft actionable development plans.
During the exercise, common issues identified by stakeholders included financial constraints, human resource deficiencies, infrastructure decay, weak autonomy, skipped antenatal care (ANC) lack of basic amenities in hospital, among others.
To tackle these challenges, stakeholders unanimously agreed to include the challenges in their plan to address the challenges for good.
At the end of the workshop, a Consultant with Markets and Systems Advisory, Muhammad Sagagi stressed that stakeholders apply the knowledge gained to formulate a practical development plan aimed at addressing the pressing issues in Kano.
According to Sagagi, the success of the training depends on how effectively the insights are translated into actionable strategies that meet the needs of the people at the grassroots level.
He urged participants, including local government officials, civil society representatives, and development partners, to work collaboratively and ensure that no community is left behind.
