Jigawa LGAs, UNICEF partner to tackle child poverty

From Mika’il Tsoho, Dutse

As part of effort to address challenges and improve the welfare of children, the Jigawa State Bureau of Statistics in collaboration with United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have engaged 27 local government on the dissemination and utilization of the State Child Poverty Report.
The meeting aimed to enhance evidence-based programme design and implementation at the grassroots.
Speaking during the meeting, the statistician general Dr. Jamilu Garba explained that, the Meeting will encouraged the local government chairmen to adopt better ways of addressing the identified gaps in order to better of the living conditions of children in various localities.
He maintained that, the engagement meeting which brought together all local government chairmen and key stakeholders is designed to strengthen collaboration in addressing child poverty through reliable data and informed policy decisions.
According to him, the Child Poverty Report provides vital information that will assist local governments in identifying the most vulnerable communities, prioritizing interventions, and ensuring that development programmes effectively reach children in need.
He noted that the initiative is aimed at promoting data-driven governance and improving service delivery across the 27 local government areas of the state for improved wellbeing, particularly in critical sectors such as education, healthcare, nutrition, water and sanitation, and child protection.
While delivering his speech, the UNICEF chief of field office Kano Mr Shaffeeq ur Rahman expressed appreciation for the initiative and commended Jigawa state government for effective partnership and promise more commitment at all times.
Meanwhile the twenty-seven local government chairmen pledged to integrate the findings of the report into their development plans and policy implementation thereby signed a commitments with the Jigawa State Bureau of Statistics, committing to the dissemination and practical utilization of the report in planning and executing programmes that will improve the welfare of children.
Speaking on behalf of the chairmen, the Algon chairman Dr. Abdullahi Sibu commended the Bureau for the initiative and reaffirmed their commitment to working closely with the state government and development partners to reduce child poverty and promote inclusive development across all communities in Jigawa State.
The engagement marks another step by the Jigawa State Government towards strengthening evidence-based planning and ensuring that development policies are guided by accurate and reliable statistical data for sustainable socio-economic growth.