Bukola Afeni
The Integrated Child Survival Advocacy (ICSA) Katsina State Team has commended the Katsina State Government for proposing ₦3.72 billion for child survival interventions in its 2027 budget.
The State Government proposed the ₦3.72 billion allocation to fund priority child survival programmes, an amount that exceeds the ₦3.23 billion estimated by ICSA as necessary to meet its benchmark of ₦1,500 per child under five.
The proposed funding will support routine immunisation and polio eradication, nutrition, malaria prevention and treatment, free medical care and other essential health services across Katsina’s 34 Local Government Areas.
The ICSA State Technical Lead in Katsina, Dr Ma’awuya Aliu, described the proposed allocation as an important demonstration of the government’s commitment to improving child health and survival.
“We commend the Katsina State Government for the increased attention to child survival in the proposed 2027 budget,” Aliu said.
He said the investment could help improve immunisation coverage, access to essential medicines, nutrition services and malaria prevention and treatment for children across the state.
The wider ₦828.64 billion 2027 budget proposal includes ₦53.64 billion for health, representing 8.41 per cent of the total budget and a 3.02 per cent increase over the 2026 health allocation.
The proposed health spending includes an increase in nutrition funding from ₦500 million to ₦1.2 billion and free medical care funding at the State Primary Healthcare Agency from ₦100 million to ₦160 million.
Other allocations include ₦106.53 million for routine immunisation and polio eradication, ₦50 million counterpart funding for ANRiN, ₦680 million for child survival interventions across the 34 LGAs, ₦828.51 million for malaria interventions and ₦750 million for free medical care at general hospitals through the Drug and Medical Supplies Agency.
Aliu said the effectiveness of the investment would depend on timely release and proper utilisation of the funds, alongside coordination among the state government, LGAs, health facilities, communities and development partners.
The ICSA team also urged the government to strengthen accountability mechanisms to track the release and expenditure of funds allocated to child survival priorities.
The proposed 2027 budget, tagged “Building Your Future Agenda IV,” is expected to be presented by Governor Dikko Umar Radda to the Katsina State House of Assembly for consideration and approval.
