By: Adelowo Oladipo, Minna
The Niger State Commissioner for Health, Dr Murtala Muhammad Bagana has reaffirmed that the 2027 Annual Operational Plan of the health sector will be fully aligned with the health priorities of the New Niger Health Agenda of the administration of His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Niger State, Mohammed Umaru Bago.
Dr Murtala Bagana made the statement during the opening ceremony of the five-day 2027 Niger State Health Sector Annual Operational Plan (AOP) Harmonisation and Finalisation Workshop held in Bida. This is contained in a statement issued by the Public Relations Officer of the State Ministry of Health Jibrin Usman Kodo and made available to Journalists on Monday in Minna.
The Commissioner who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Abdullahi Usman Imam, said the workshop which brought together officials from agencies under the Ministry, the State Planning Commission, development partners and civil society organisations was designed to produce a single, coherent, evidence-based, realistic, costed and results-oriented health sector AOP that reflects both government priorities and the actual health needs of the people.
He stressed that the Ministry is committed to aligning all development partners’ programmes and interventions with the 2027 AOP to strengthen the Sector-Wide Approach principles of “One Plan, One Budget, One Conversation and One Report”.
Dr. Imam emphasised the need to avoid duplication of activities and fragmented planning,saying available resources must be clearly reflected in the plan, while gaps should be transparently identified to facilitate targeted resource mobilisation.
“The ultimate measure of this planning exercise is whether the people of Niger State experience improvements in access, quality, affordability and responsiveness of health services,” he said.
He urged participants to bring their expertise, data and experience to bear as they review activities, eliminate duplication, rationalise priorities and make difficult but necessary choices where resources are limited.
In his welcome address, the Executive Director of the Niger State Primary Health Care Development Agency (NISPHDA), Dr Junaidu Inuwa — represented by the Director of Health Planning, Research and Statistics at the Ministry of Health, Pharmacist Ilya Laban Danlami — said the Ministry needs a clear understanding of the totality of interventions planned for the health sector in 2027, whether financed by government, development partners, implementing partners or other sources.
Dr Junaidu Inuwa noted that the final document would not be a mere compilation of activities, but a practical management and accountability instrument to guide implementation, budgeting, partner coordination, monitoring and performance assessment throughout 2027.
He commended development and implementing partners for their continued collaboration and support to the state’s health sector.
Speaking on behalf of heads of agencies, the Executive Director of the Drugs Management Agency (DMA), Pharmacist Umar Ndagi, PhD, praised the Commissioner for Health and the Permanent Secretary for their leadership, assuring that all agencies would continue to support the Ministry and key policies and programmes for a better health sector in the state.
Representatives of the Malaria Consortium, Global Fund Malaria, Society for Family Health (SFH), ACOMIN and CCRN, in their goodwill messages, appreciated the Commissioner and the state government for providing a level playing ground for them to contribute to improved healthcare delivery across Niger State.
Technical sessions review and harmonize 2027 activities after the opening ceremony, the workshop moved into technical sessions.
The Deputy Director of Health Planning, Research and Statistics of the Ministry, Pharmacist Matthias Sunday Pmabi highlighted the aims and objectives of the workshop, while the Director of Planning, Research and Statistics at NISPHDA, Dr Andrew Okoh, gave an overview of the process.
Programme officers from the Ministry and its agencies made several presentations on proposed 2027 activities. These were reviewed and corrected by the AOP Consultant, Mr Adebiyi Ajayi, to align with the Health Sector Strategic Plan (HSSP) blueprint and new AOP realities.
Expected outcomes of the workshop,adding that by the end of the workshop, stakeholders are expected to produce a harmonized and finalized 2027 Health Sector AOP with: clearly defined priorities and interventions,evidence-based baselines and realistic targets,validated and realistic costing, with clear funding commitments and identified resource gaps as well as defined roles and responsibilities, as well as measurable indicators and implementation timelines.
Meanwhile,at the end of the five-day workshop, activities developed by programme officers of the Ministry, its agencies and partners were reviewed and harmonized to produce a robust, ready-to-implement 2027 AOP for the Niger State healthcare sector.
