UNICEF hails Kano, Katsina, Jigawa for strengthening child welfare

The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, has on Thursday commended the Kano, Katsina, and Jigawa state governments for their significant progress in championing child welfare.

Speaking at the launch of the Nigerian Child 2025 report in Kano, Rahama Rihhood Mohammed Farah, the Chief of UNICEF’s Kano Field Office, said the three states have made notable improvements in health, nutrition, education, and access to clean water through strong partnerships with state governments.

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Farah highlighted a community-driven campaign against malnutrition, the Masaki Initiative in Jigawa State, which is now being adopted by other states.

He added that Jigawa has also achieved major gains in routine immunisation over the past decade.

In Katsina, he noted that the government has committed more than 1 billion Naira to Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods through its Child Nutrition Match Fund.

Katsina has also become the second state in Nigeria to attain Open Defecation Free status.

Despite these milestones, UNICEF warned that malnutrition rates remain above 50 per cent in all three states, while millions of children are still out of school.

Farah, therefore, called for stronger collaboration and sustained investment to close the existing gaps and improve child well-being across the region.

Speaking further, Farah said Nigeria has achieved improvements such as reduced child deaths, increased vaccination coverage and higher birth registration. “In the first half of 2025 alone, more than 1.3 million people received health services and 340,000 children were treated for severe acute malnutrition. Despite these gains, children in Katsina continue to face challenges”, he said.

According to him, the 2024 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey NDHS, stunting rates stand at 64.6 per cent in Katsina, compared with 51.9 per cent in Kano and 55.7 per cent in Jigawa. “Malnutrition remains high in the North-West, with Nigeria ranking first in Africa and second globally for the number of malnourished children”.

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He therefore explained that education, millions of children in the North are out of school, while those attending often struggle due to overcrowded classrooms, insecurity and poverty. “In Katsina, 112 Qur’anic schools now operate a dual curriculum, integrating formal education with religious studies, expanding learning opportunities for children across the state.

During a student panel at the World Children’s Day event, pupils from schools raised concerns about access to safe schools, functional health facilities, clean water and protection from violence and harmful practices, urging governments and stakeholders to increase investment in child welfare programmes.