Anambra emerges overall best state in primary healthcare leadership challenge, received $1.2 m

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By Madu Obi

Anambra State has emerged victorious at the National Primary Healthcare Leadership Challenge, clinching the best state in the Southeast Zone and the overall best state in Nigeria.

The state received $500,000 as the best in the Southeast and $700,000 as the national overall best, bringing the total amount won by the state to $1.2 million.

The Primary Healthcare Leadership Challenge is driven by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum in collaboration with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Aliko Dangote Foundation, the Federal Ministry of Health, and UNICEF.

It seeks to galvanize governors’ commitment to grassroots healthcare and its focus on innovation, accountability, and gender-specific health outcomes underscores the importance of strategic investments in human capital development.

Speaking after receiving the awards, Governor Chukwuma Soludo said the accolades spotlight Anambra’s undeniable strides in enhancing primary healthcare delivery and an authentication of the state government's placement of exceptional high premium on the holistic wellbeing of the people of the state.

“The awards underscore the resilience, resourcefulness, and collaborative spirit of our people.

The prize money, beyond its financial value, symbolizes an endorsement of the state’s healthcare model and provides an opportunity to deepen investments in critical areas such as maternal and child health, immunisation, and rural healthcare infrastructure,” the governor said.

Press secretary to the governor, Mr. Christian Aburime, in a statement, said Anambra’s resounding success reflects deliberate policy reforms, robust resource mobilisation, and uncompromising accountability.

He observed that Governor Soludo’s administration has strategically prioritized healthcare as a cornerstone for sustainable development, by recruiting thousands of qualified healthcare professionals, investing much resources in healthcare facilities, and demonstrating that effective leadership and targeted investments can yield life-changing outcomes for the populace.

"Beyond the purview of healthcare, Governor Soludo’s dynamic governance has positioned Anambra State as a model of excellence in infrastructure, education, and economic reforms.

Under his leadership, the state has witnessed a renaissance in governance that places people at the heart of development.

By adopting data-driven policies, fiscal prudence, and ensuring financial transparency, Governor Soludo has charted a path that other states can emulate", Aburime stated.