Nigeria’s 36 state governors will on Friday, December 12, converge in Abuja for the third edition of the Primary Health Care (PHC) Leadership Challenge Awards.
The award is an initiative aimed at promoting accountability and performance in the delivery of primary health care across the country.
The event, scheduled for 7:00 p.m., is organised by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), and UNICEF, with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The awards were introduced to encourage governors to fulfill the commitments made under the Seattle Declaration of 2019, where all 36 governors pledged to improve access to quality primary health care services in their states.
Accountability Platform for Primary Health Care
The PHC Leadership Challenge uses a performance monitoring framework that tracks progress in governance, financing, service quality, data use, and sustainability of state-level health systems.
The framework, developed with input from national health stakeholders, is based on the principles of Meaningfulness, Availability, Movability, Measurability, and Simplicity (MAMMS).
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Following the inaugural edition, indicators from the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative were integrated into the assessment process.
The review system now rewards states not only for new investments but also for sustained funding, institutional leadership, and efficient management of PHC programmes.
NGF Chairman AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq described the platform as “a clear example of how political will can translate into measurable outcomes,” noting that it has become “a beacon of what strong, accountable leadership can achieve in Nigeria’s health system.”
Independent Review and Verification
The judging panel consists of public health professionals, academics, traditional and religious leaders, media representatives, and members of civil society organisations.
A statement released by Yunusa Tanko Abdullahi, NGF Director of Media and Strategic Communications explains that the assessments are conducted by independent verification agents recruited through the United Nations system to ensure objectivity and credibility.
Governors are evaluated on a range of indicators, including functionality of PHC governance structures, budget releases, staffing, infrastructure readiness, use of reliable data, and efforts to institutionalize leadership at the Local Government Area (LGA) level.
Awards and Incentives
A total of 13 awards will be presented this year — two for each geopolitical zone and one national prize for the overall best-performing state.
It was further explained tha the winners will share US$6.1 million, which must be reinvested in their state PHC systems.
Previous editions have seen strong participation from states across the federation.
- In 2023, Borno State won the national prize, receiving $700,000, while Kwara, Jigawa, Ebonyi, Rivers, and Ondo were zonal winners.
- In 2024, Anambra State, under Governor Charles Soludo, emerged overall best performer, taking home $700,000, with Rivers, Osun, Yobe, Kaduna, and Kwara leading their zones.
- Gombe State received a Special Innovation Award for unique PHC initiatives.
Beyond Competition
Organisers say the challenge has evolved beyond a competition into a structured accountability mechanism that fosters peer learning among states.
Governors are expected to adopt and replicate effective strategies implemented by high-performing peers.
“This is not just an award ceremony,” AbdulRazaq said. “It is a recognition of measurable impact and a collective commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of Nigerians.”
The statement concludes that, “now in its third cycle, the PHC Leadership Challenge has become one of the country’s most consistent performance-based accountability initiatives, driving Nigeria toward the goal of universal access to functional, quality primary health care.”
