The European Union (EU) has urged the Kwara Government to increase domestic funding for maternal and neonatal healthcare to sustain improvements recorded in the sector.
The Head of Cooperation, EU Delegation, Massimo Deluca, made the call in Ilorin on Thursday during an advocacy visit by the EU and other development partners to assess progress in the state.
The delegation included representatives of the EU, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the German Embassy and other partners.
Deluca said the visit was aimed at reviewing progress after about a year of implementation and assessing the state’s performance against agreed targets.
He said adequate domestic funding was essential to sustaining gains in maternal, neonatal, adolescent and youth health services.
According to him, Kwara was selected as a pivotal state for interventions, particularly in adolescent and maternal healthcare.
He stressed that the partnership was not solely about financial support, but also about achieving measurable results, adding that EU assistance was intended to complement the state’s own efforts.
Deluca also called for continued dialogue between the EU and the state government to monitor progress towards agreed targets.
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UNICEF Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Manager, Martin Axel, commended the state for what he described as “strong leadership, ownership and accountability” in implementing the interventions.
Axel said Kwara’s experience was encouraging other states participating in the programme, while describing community midwifery as a major milestone.
He said UNICEF would complement the approach with its safer birth bundle care initiative, designed to strengthen health facilities’ capacity to prevent avoidable deaths among mothers and newborns.
UNFPA representative, Dr Koessan Kuawu, said the partnership had produced tangible results despite the relatively short implementation period.
He attributed the progress to government leadership and international cooperation, citing health workers’ training, the completion and equipping of 150 health facilities and efforts to reach communities in remote areas.
Kuawu also commended the state government for providing domestic resources to procure family planning and maternal health commodities.
The Head of Cooperation at the German Embassy in Abuja, Dr Karim Jansen, said the visit demonstrated the partners’ shared commitment to supporting Nigeria’s development priorities.
Jansen said the delegation would also participate in the commissioning of a solar mini-grid project, describing it as an example of how international cooperation could deliver benefits to communities and businesses.
Responding, Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq said the state valued its partnership with the EU and welcomed the opportunity to assess the impact of EU-supported investments.
AbdulRazaq, represented by his Deputy, Mr Kayode Alabi, highlighted the EU-SARAH initiative and its support for maternal, newborn, adolescent and youth health services.
He said improving health outcomes required accessible services, support for health workers, quality care and greater attention to the needs of women, young people and communities.
Earlier, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Amina El-Imam, said the government was strengthening the health system across the continuum of care.
She said the government had improved health infrastructure across the state’s 193 wards, strengthening primary and secondary healthcare while expanding tertiary services.
