By Khadija Kubau
Stakeholders of the Kaduna South Local Government Open Government Partnership (OGP) initiative have called for stronger healthcare monitoring systems, improved community engagement, and increased awareness of mental health and psychosocial support services across communities.
The calls were made during the first quarter review meeting of the Kaduna South OGP Steering Committee held ahead of the forthcoming OGP Global Week scheduled to commence on May 18, 2026.
Speaking at the meeting, the Chairman of Kaduna South Local Government, Rilwan Hussain, commended members of the steering committee, civil society organizations, development partners, and healthcare workers for their commitment towards the successful implementation of the OGP action plan.
He stated that Kaduna South had continued to distinguish itself as a leading example of open governance and grassroots development within Kaduna State and the global OGP community.
According to him, the local government recently gained international recognition on the Sustainable Development Goals Local Action Global Platform for its innovative approach to grassroots governance and sustainable community engagement.
The chairman noted that the implementation of the OGP Local Action Plan had already started yielding positive results, particularly in healthcare delivery, through improved access to healthcare services and stronger community participation.
He attributed the progress recorded to the support of Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, as well as the dedication of healthcare workers and stakeholders committed to improving service delivery across communities.
Also speaking, the Co-chair of OGP Kaduna South, Suleiman Tanko, said Kaduna South had emerged as one of the leading local governments in Northern Nigeria actively implementing the OGP initiative to promote transparency, accountability, and citizens’ participation in governance.
Tanko explained that the OGP framework had strengthened collaboration between government institutions, civil society organizations, development partners, and community members in addressing governance and healthcare challenges at the grassroots level.
He stressed the need for improved monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to ensure that healthcare programmes and other interventions were properly documented and measurable.
The OGP Co-chair further emphasized the importance of public sensitization on mental health and psychosocial support services available across communities.
According to him, although psychosocial support centres and mental health facilities had been established in many areas, many residents were still unaware of the services available to them.
He called for intensified awareness campaigns through the media, religious centres, community associations, women groups, and healthcare outreach programmes to encourage residents to access available mental health services without fear or stigma.
He also disclosed that healthcare workers were undergoing specialized psychiatric and psychosocial training to strengthen service delivery at primary healthcare centres.
Responding to issues raised during the meeting, the Health Secretary of Kaduna South Local Government, Hope Yerima, assured stakeholders that the health department was already taking steps to strengthen documentation and reporting of healthcare activities under the OGP initiative.
She disclosed that several healthcare programmes, including routine immunization campaigns, maternal healthcare interventions, community outreach services, and the distribution of “Mama Kits” to pregnant women, were already ongoing across health facilities within Kaduna South Local Government Area.
Yerima acknowledged concerns over inadequate documentation and limited media coverage of healthcare outreach activities, noting that journalists were often not invited to accompany health teams during community engagements.
She, however, assured stakeholders that efforts were underway to compile accurate statistics, reports, and pictorial evidence of completed healthcare interventions for submission to the OGP platform.
The Health Secretary also revealed that the department had recently convened an emergency meeting with healthcare facilitators to address challenges affecting antenatal care attendance among pregnant women. She said new strategies were being developed to improve maternal healthcare delivery and encourage pregnant women to complete the recommended antenatal visits.
Stakeholders at the meeting reaffirmed their commitment to sustaining healthcare reforms, strengthening transparency and accountability, and ensuring that citizens directly benefit from ongoing government programmes and interventions across Kaduna South.
