The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in collaboration with Development Governance International (DGI) Consult has commenced implementation of the Capacity Strengthening Plan under the Enhancing Leadership, Governance and Management Capacities (ELGMC) project in Adamawa state.
The three-day training workshop marks the first phase of the evidence based Capacity Strengthening Plan implementation developed following a baseline assessment that identified critical leadership, governance and management gaps affecting Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent Health and Nutrition (RMNCAH+N) and Gender Based Violence (GBV) programmes in Adamawa, Kwara and Sokoto states.
This was disclosed in a statement signed by Wole Alawode of ELGMC project in Abuja, Monday.
The ELGMC project, implemented by DGI Consult, is a component of the Strengthening Access to Reproductive and Adolescent Health (SARAH) Project jointly implemented by UNICEF and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
The four year initiative is funded by the European Union to strengthen health systems and improve access to quality RMNCAH+N and GBV services across the three states.
The workshop brought together senior government officials, programme managers, local government representatives, heads of health institutions, development partners and other stakeholders to strengthen institutional leadership and improve programme implementation through competency based training, systems strengthening, practical management tools and structured mentoring.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, UNICEF Health Systems Specialist, Dr. Emmanuel Emedo, described effective leadership as a critical determinant of health system performance, adding that technical expertise alone is insufficient for improving health outcomes.