The CARE Nigeria and the Katsina State government have launched a project to empower 2,000 healthcare workers in Katsina State.
The project tagged ‘Enhancing Resilience in Frontline Community Healthcare (EnRiCH)’ was launched in collaboration with the Katsina State Ministry of Health and Katsina State Primary Health Care Agency yesterday in Abuja.
The Country Director of CARE Nigeria, Dr Hussaini Abdu said the project will support professional development, certification and economic empowerment frontline health workers in Katsina State via a digital learning platform.
He said that the project will also establish Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs) to support the economic empowerment and independence of the health workers.
“Over the next three years, in collaboration with the Katsina State Ministry of Health and the State Primary Health Care Agency, the EnRiCH Project will directly contribute to the capacity building, professional advancement, and economic empowerment of 2,000 frontline community health workers in the State.
“This initiative is not just about training; it is about equipping community health workers with the tools, skills, and resources necessary to deliver high-quality, safe, and effective health services.
“Recognising the importance of innovation in healthcare, we will leverage existing structures and deploy digital technologies to enhance the capacity of these dedicated professionals,” Abdu said.
He said that through CARE’s VSLA approach, the project will establish networks of health workers who not only learn leadership and management skills but also enhance their financial independence.
He said, “These networks will serve as platforms for knowledge exchange, problem-solving, and collective action to drive community-led improvements in maternal and child health outcomes.
We acknowledge the socioeconomic challenges many frontline health workers face and recognise that their well-being directly influences the quality of care they provide. By strengthening their economic resilience, we empower them to remain motivated, committed and effective in their service delivery.”
On what the project seeks to achieve, the Health Sector Lead at CARE Nigeria, Dr. Amina Abdullahi, said the project hopes to reach one million beneficiaries in Katsina State.
She said, “Through this intervention, we are aiming to reach about one million people in 200,000 households in Katsina State.”
The Executive Secretary, Katsina State Primary Health Care Agency, Dr. Shamsuddeen Yahaya, said the project will fill the gap created by japa syndrome, insecurity and other factors.
“Human resources for health is one of the building blocks of the health system. For any health system to function effectively, you need to have the full complement of health care workers. Even in advanced countries, they don’t have enough. That is why they have lowered the standards in terms of people moving to the UK, America, Canada and other places.
“It’s a fact that human resource is not enough in Nigeria and this project is coming to augment what we have on the ground. It will provide capacity building. It will look at other forms of motivation so as to make sure that we improve in terms of service delivery.
“We are looking at 2,000 frontline health care workers reaching over 1 million people in over 200,000 households. So, definitely, this is going to make an impact in terms of improving service delivery and making sure that we are an inch closer to addressing numerous health problems in the state,” Yahaya said.