UNICEF Taraba PHCs revamp: 11 healthcare centres to be upgraded with Global Fund support to enhance maternal and child health by March 2026

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Taraba State government have awarded contracts to revamp 11 primary healthcare centres (PHCs) across six local government areas, with funding from the Global Fund.

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Speaking at the event, Nuzhat Rafique, UNICEF chief of the Bauchi field office, urged contractors to carry out their assignments with honesty, dedication, and professionalism.

She described the handover of selected PHCs by the Taraba government, through Commissioner for Health Bondiya Buma, as a crucial collaboration to save the lives of mothers and children.

“This is more than just construction work; it means saving the lives of mothers and children, and all of us must take it seriously,” Rafique said.

She called on the chairmen of benefiting councils to ensure quality delivery and timely completion of the projects.

The six local government areas benefiting from the initiative are Ardo-Kola, Bali, Gassol, Karim-Lamido, Sardauna, and Zing.

Commissioner Buma thanked the Global Fund for its support and praised UNICEF for transparency in the contractor selection process, affirming the state government’s commitment to providing an enabling environment for project completion.

Buma also appealed to facility managers to cooperate with contractors, highlighting that communities across Taraba would benefit significantly from the upgrades.

Nuhu Tukura, Executive Secretary of the Taraba Primary Health Care Development Agency, lauded UNICEF and the Global Fund and urged the media to continue covering state health programmes.

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The revamp project, funded by the Global Fund and implemented by UNICEF, is expected to be completed by March 2026.