Ahead of the launch of the PHC Leadership Challenge Fund, the PHC Leadership Challenge Steering Committee (LCSC) was inaugurated on Thursday, 02 June 2022 by the Honourable Minister of Health.
The LCSC, chaired by the Honourable Minister of Health, with Executive Director-NPHCDA as alternate Chair and the Director General-NGF Secretariat as Co-Chair is responsible for the overall governance and oversight of the implementation of the PHC Leadership Challenge Fund.
Other members of the LCSC are the country representatives for BMGF, UNICEF, WHO, UNFPA, the Chair of Development Partners Group-Health, and two nominees from the Nigeria Health Commissioners Forum which are the Honourable Commissioners of Health from Ekiti and Yobe States.
The PHC Leadership Challenge Fund is a leadership challenge among the 36 states of Nigeria and the FCT, designed to catalyze the implementation of the Seattle Declaration by State Governors and renew political commitments to improve PHC outcomes.
The Seattle Declaration is a set of commitments made by Executive Governors towards prioritizing primary healthcare in their respective states and thereby accelerating the attainment of universal health coverage in the country. The NGF adopted the Seattle Declaration at the November 2019 National Executive Council meeting.
This Challenge is an opportunity for the 36 states and FCT to equitably compete within each of their six geopolitical zones for an annual best performing and most improved awards, which will bring high-level recognition, pressure to keep improving basic health services, and a monetary reward, while also encouraging neighbor states to do better. A national award will also be given to the best-performing state.
The Challenge Fund is funded by the BMGF, and it is managed by UNICEF, Nigeria Governors’ Forum Secretariat, and National Primary Healthcare Development Agency. It targets governance, leadership, and commitment to PHC by governors across the 36 states and the FCT.
The Nigeria Governors’ Forum Secretariat will lead the engagement with the states in this programme and ensure that the State Governors and their teams have access to the evidence they require to improve their PHC systems while the NPHCDA will sustain its statutory role of providing technical assistance to States.
At the inauguration of the Steering Committee, the Director-General of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum reiterated the commitment of the Forum to this Challenge and the overall improvement of PHC across the 36 states of Nigeria.
He also commended the Executive Director of the NPHCDA for the support they provide to the states towards strengthening the primary healthcare system.
The NGF believes that this is a unique opportunity for all the states to increase the visibility of their PHC system and ultimately improve PHC outcomes across the country.
By Isioma Ononye,
Media Officer