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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Health & Science

UNICEF, EU Launch Leadership Initiative to Boost Adamawa Health System

From ThisDay · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • UNICEF and the EU have launched a leadership initiative in Nigeria's Adamawa State to strengthen health institutions and improve RMNCAH+N services.
  • The initiative, part of the EU-funded SARAH project, aims to build competent leaders capable of improving resource utilization and healthcare access.
  • A recent workshop identified significant leadership and management gaps affecting RMNCAH+N and GBV programs, informing the capacity-strengthening plan.

A new initiative aims to bolster health services in Nigeria's Adamawa State by enhancing leadership and management capacities. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in partnership with Development Governance International (DGI) Consult, has initiated a program focused on strengthening health institutions and improving Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent Health and Nutrition (RMNCAH+N) services.

This effort is a component of the European Union-funded Strengthening Access to Reproductive and Adolescent Health (SARAH) project, which UNICEF and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) are jointly implementing across Adamawa, Kwara, and Sokoto States. The four-year SARAH project seeks to improve health systems and access to quality services, including Gender Based Violence (GBV) support.

It is important that health professionals understand how to lead because when we lead better, we deliver better results.

— Dr. Emmanuel EmedoUNICEF Health Systems Specialist, speaking at the opening ceremony of the leadership initiative workshop.

Dr. Emmanuel Emedo, UNICEF Health Systems Specialist, emphasized the critical role of effective leadership in healthcare. "It is important that health professionals understand how to lead because when we lead better, we deliver better results," he stated during a recent three-day workshop in Yola. He highlighted that as health professionals take on more leadership roles, they must develop the necessary competencies to manage resources and improve outcomes, especially as governments increasingly shoulder ownership of health programs.

The initiative follows a baseline assessment that revealed significant gaps in leadership, governance, and management affecting RMNCAH+N and GBV programs in the targeted states. Dr. Gafar Alawode, CEO of DGI Consult, noted that despite progress in reproductive health, challenges in coordination, financing, and management systems continue to hinder program performance. The project is designed to cultivate leaders who can strengthen institutions and enhance healthcare access.

Our ambition is to make Adamawa

— Dr. Gafar AlawodeChief Executive Officer of DGI Consult, discussing the project's goals.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ThisDay in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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