The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has partnered with the Sokoto State Government to train 500 young women as community midwives under a new scholarship programme aimed at improving maternal healthcare in rural areas.
The initiative was unveiled at the state’s 8th Council on Health meeting, where officials said the scheme would help expand access to skilled birth attendants and reduce maternal and child mortality.
Under the Community Midwifery Scholarship and Bonding Scheme, 250 beneficiaries will be enrolled in 2026 and another 250 in 2027, with trainees to be deployed to underserved communities after graduation.
Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto described the programme as critical to addressing healthcare gaps, particularly in rural areas. He noted that the state had already recruited and deployed over 1,500 nurses and midwives under a mandatory rural posting policy.
“We are fully committed to ensuring that our people, especially those in rural communities, have access to quality and affordable healthcare services,” the governor said.
The State Commissioner for Health, Faruk Umar, said the scheme would significantly improve the availability of skilled birth attendants, adding that over 2,400 community health workers are currently being recruited to strengthen primary healthcare delivery.
UNFPA also highlighted ongoing support for family planning, noting that the state’s N30 million investment in child-spacing commodities was matched with N50 million worth of supplies from the agency.
The organisation said Sokoto remains one of its highest-funded states, with more than N4.6 billion earmarked for interventions in 2026.
Health experts at the meeting said the combined efforts—ranging from workforce expansion to targeted maternal health programmes—could significantly improve healthcare outcomes for women and children in the state.
