Kaduna Leads New Governance Milestone As All 23 LGAs Adopt OGP Framework For Improved Health Care Delivery
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Kaduna Leads New Governance Milestone as All 23 LGAs Adopt OGP Framework to Strengthen Primary Health Care. Kaduna State has achieved another landmark in governance reform, becoming the first subnational government in the world to begin the domestication of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) framework across all 23 Local Government Areas (LGAs), with a strategic focus on enhancing Primary Health Care (PHC) delivery.
The initiative was launched during a three-day Orientation Workshop for Local Government Chairmen on the Domestication of OGP for Improved Primary Health Care Delivery held in Abuja.
Organised by the Kaduna State Planning and Budget Commission and the Ministry of Local Government Affairs in partnership with EngenderHealth and the Open Government Partnership National Secretariat, the workshop brought together local government chairmen, government officials, civil society organisations, and development partners to advance transparency, accountability, and citizen engagement in healthcare governance.
Representing Governor Uba Sani at the opening ceremony, the Deputy Governor, Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe, reiterated the administration’s commitment to strengthening primary healthcare as a key pillar of Kaduna State’s Rural Transformation Agenda.
She emphasised that robust primary healthcare systems are essential for effective healthcare delivery and noted that access to quality healthcare is fundamental to economic prosperity, social stability, and human capital development.
According to the Deputy Governor, extending OGP principles to the local government level will enhance transparency in resource management, improve accountability in service delivery, and create greater opportunities for citizens to participate in decision-making processes.
She urged local government chairmen to recognise healthcare delivery as a core governance responsibility, stressing that challenges such as preventable maternal and child mortality, low immunisation rates, and weak health systems require decisive leadership and accountability.
Dr Balarabe also called on the chairmen to translate commitments made during an earlier retreat in Kano into measurable actions by prioritising primary healthcare and embedding open governance practices within their councils.
“Government delivers better results when it operates transparently and in partnership with the people. Openness enables citizens to contribute to decision-making, monitor public services, and hold institutions accountable for outcomes,” she stated.
In his remarks, the Civil Society Co-Chair of the OGP National Secretariat, Uchenna Asirukwo, praised Kaduna State for its leadership in advancing open government reforms in Nigeria.
He noted that Kaduna was the first subnational government in the country to join the Open Government Partnership and has consistently championed reforms that promote transparency, accountability, and citizen participation.
He described the decision to domesticate OGP across all 23 LGAs to strengthen primary healthcare delivery as another pioneering achievement.
Participants also learned from the experience of Kaduna South Local Government Area, which shared lessons from its role as the first local government globally to apply OGP principles to primary healthcare service delivery.
The workshop attracted senior government officials, civil society organisations, and development partners, including the Gates Foundation, Lafiya Programme, EngenderHealth, and UNICEF.
