By Khadijah Aliyu
The Kano State Government has approved the restructuring of the Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) Programme Team following the completion and review of an investigative committee’s report on the preparation and implementation of the 2026 SMC exercise in the state.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Public Relations Officer of the Kano State Ministry of Health, Nabulisi Abubakar, and made available to Newsmen.
The restructuring, according to the statement, is aimed at repositioning the programme for improved performance while strengthening coordination, supervision, monitoring and accountability at all levels.
Under the new arrangement, the team is headed by the Director of Public Health in the Kano State Ministry of Health, Dr. Ibrahim Aliyu Umar.
Other members are the Programme Manager, Babangida Musa; Deputy Programme Manager, Abdullahi Koki; Assistant Programme Manager, Dr. Usman Umar Saurayi; State Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Ibrahim Zubairu; and Deputy State M&E Officer, Bashir Maikano.
The team also comprises six zonal Monitoring and Evaluation officers of the State Primary Healthcare Management Board, alongside Local Government Area M&E officers, Programme M&E officers and RBMs.
The statement said the resolutions arising from the review were designed to improve coordination and supervision across the state, zonal, local government and ward levels.
It added that the restructuring would strengthen data quality, reporting, monitoring and evaluation, while promoting greater accountability and transparency in the distribution of commodities and other resources.
According to the government, the new structure would address gaps identified during the first round of the 2026 SMC exercise and ensure the timely and effective implementation of the remaining two rounds.
The restructured team is expected to commence work immediately.
The state government also reiterated its commitment to the successful implementation of the SMC programme, describing it as a critical intervention for preventing and controlling malaria among children under five years.
It called on all stakeholders to work collectively towards achieving the objectives of the intervention.
Editing By Godwin Duru
