Sokoto and UNFPA launch major midwife training for rural health
The United Nations Population Fund and the Sokoto State Government have announced a joint initiative to train 500 young women as community midwives. The programme aims to improve maternal and child healthcare in rural areas through a scholarship and bonding scheme. Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto and health officials highlighted the importance of expanding the health workforce and increasing access to skilled birth attendants. The intervention includes scholarships, workforce expansion, and support for family planning commodities.
Highlights
- 500 young women from rural communities will receive full scholarships to study community midwifery, with 250 to be enrolled in 2026 and another 250 in 2027.
- The initiative was unveiled during the 8th Sokoto State Council on Health meeting, organised by the state government and UNFPA.
- The state is recruiting over 2,400 community health workers to strengthen primary healthcare services.
- The Sokoto government invested N30 million in child-spacing commodities, matched by N50 million worth of supplies from UNFPA.
- Over N4.6 billion has been earmarked for Sokoto in 2026 by UNFPA, making it one of the agency’s highest-funded states.
