Red tape and inadequate training are blocking health emergency funds in Kano State, a top epidemiologist has warned. Dr Suleiman Illiyasu, the State Epidemiologist, made this stark assessment during discussions with Connected Development's Follow The Money team.
Money exists at the national level under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund, he explained. Yet administrative hurdles and insufficient technical skills prevent the state from accessing and using these resources effectively.
"Knowledge gaps among stakeholders are one of the key problems," Dr Illiyasu told reporters. He stressed that training programmes could help unlock access to these critical funds.
Poor communication between implementing agencies compounds the challenge. When officials don't engage regularly, health financing programmes suffer, he noted.
Dr Illiyasu called for better tracking systems and digital dashboards to monitor fund usage. "Sometimes, we don't even know what is happening until someone comes for supervision," he said.
Weak follow-up and feedback systems also slow progress. Regular supervision matters, according to him, if the state wants to improve how it manages health money.
Officer turnover disrupts continuity in health programmes, the epidemiologist added. When staff change frequently, implementation delays and progress stalls.
Kano has invested in emergency response structures. Still, current funding falls short of what the state truly needs.
He observed that the state's growing population and migration patterns are straining available resources. "The funding is there, but it is not enough," Dr Illiyasu said.
Muhammad Gimba, lead officer for Connected Development's Follow The Money initiative, echoed calls for tighter oversight of BHCPF spending in Kano. Stronger accountability translates to better health results at community level, he argued.
Gimba noted that the Capstone Projects track BHCPF implementation and boost accountability within health financing systems. These efforts aim to ensure funds reach their intended targets.
Kano possesses health security structures already in place. But more work is needed to ensure money gets to planned projects and reaches vulnerable populations.
He told stakeholders that understanding BHCPF mechanisms matters. "We are engaging stakeholders to ensure that health security structures like the NCDC gateway and BHCPF mechanisms are properly understood, effectively monitored, and that citizens can also track these projects," Gimba said.
Connected Development's three-day capstone project brought these issues to light. The initiative aims to strengthen how health funds flow and are managed across Kano.
