Zamfara has been named the best-performing state in primary healthcare delivery in the north-west geopolitical zone.
The announcement was made on Friday at the 2025 PHC Leadership Challenge Awards in Abuja.
The challenge was launched by the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) in 2022 to encourage states to strengthen primary healthcare delivery and promote sustainable health financing.
The initiative is supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, UNICEF, the Dangote Foundation, and the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA).
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Sulaiman Bala Idris, spokesperson to the Zamfara governor, said the initiative aims to motivate all the 36 states to improve access to quality primary healthcare services regardless of location or circumstance.
Zamfara won a $500,000 prize for topping the north-west zone in the challenge.
The Zamfara state spokesperson said the recognition reflected the impact of Governor Dauda Lawal’s declaration of a state of emergency in the health sector, noting that reforms introduced under his administration were beginning to yield positive results.
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“This clearly demonstrates that Governor Lawal’s declaration of a state of emergency in the Zamfara health sector is producing the intended positive outcomes,” the statement reads.
Zamfara and other leading states from north-east, north-central, south-east, south-south, and south-west shared a total of $6.1 million at the third edition of the Primary Health Care Leadership Challenge Awards.
