By Aminu Dalhatu
The Sultan Foundation for Peace and Development in collaboration with other partners have launched a major community-based immunisation intervention aimed at identifying and vaccinating 80,772 zero-dose children across seven priority local government areas of Zamfara State.
The initiative, tagged “Zamfara Tracking and Accountability for Equitable Immunization (Z-TRACE) Project” is being funded by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, through its Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) Fund Mechanism, managed by MannionDaniels.
Speaking at the one-day inception meeting of the project in Gusau, the Director of Programmes of the Sultan Foundation, Aminu Inuwa Muhammad, said the intervention was designed to tackle persistent barriers preventing vulnerable children from accessing life-saving vaccines.
Mr. Muhammad said the project was particularly significant because Zamfara State had an estimated 269,241 zero-dose children, with a substantial proportion concentrated in seven priority LGAs.
According to him, the LGAs are Gusau, Talata Mafara, Shinkafi, Zurmi, Anka, Bakura and Tsafe.
He explained that the project would target 80,772 children, representing 30 per cent of the state’s estimated zero-dose burden, through a data-driven and community-anchored approach.
According to him, the intervention will deploy immunisation and equity intelligence, community mapping and the networks of Community-Based Organisations (CBOs) to identify zero-dose and under- immunised children, particularly those living in underserved settlements.
To ensure effective grassroots implementation, the Sultan Foundation has engaged seven Community-Based Organisations to coordinate activities across the priority LGAs.
They are Save Mothers and Children Initiatives in Anka; Health and Integrity of Women and Children Development Initiative in Bakura; Centre for Community Excellence in Gusau; Health Standard Concern Organization (HESCO) in Shinkafi; Health Care Mobilization Impact in Talata Mafara; Millennium Development Center in Tsafe; and Voluntary Aid Initiative in Zurmi.
Mr. Muhammad disclosed that the organisations would receive grants ranging from N45,345,237 to N71,161,740, depending on the zero-dose burden and activities assigned to each LGA.
He said the grants formed part of the project’s total funding of 800,000 US dollars and would support implementation activities through December 2027.
Also Speaking, the Deputy Incident Manager of the Polio Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) in Zamfara State, Dr. Jamilu Bawa said Zamfara currently has recorded 20 confirmed cases of polio virus in 2026, compared with 15 cases reported in 2025 and zero cases recorded in 2024.
Dr. Bawa said the development was an indication of the huge gaps in the state’s routine immunisation system and the urgent need for stronger collaboration among government, development partners, civil society organisations and communities.
He commended the Sultan Foundation for Peace and Development for initiating the Z-TRACE Project and selecting Zamfara among the beneficiary states, describing the intervention as timely in addressing the burden of zero-dose children and strengthening routine immunisation.
According to him, the state is currently facing outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, including polio and diphtheria, stressing that the situation requires concerted efforts to improve immunisation uptake at the grassroots.
He said there was a need to create demand for immunisation by ensuring that mothers and caregivers understood its benefits and developed positive attitudes towards both routine immunisation and vaccination campaigns.
The meeting brought together representatives of government institutions, development partners, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to deliberate on strategies for improving immunisation coverage and reducing the number of zero-dose children in Zamfara State.
Editing By Godwin Duru
