AfDB approves N70.4bn loan for Sokoto

The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group has approved a $46 million loan, about N70.4 billion to finance the Sokoto State Health Infrastructure Project. The initiative was designed to enhance health care access and quality in Sokoto State, Nigeria, the AFDB noted in a statement on Friday. The project addresses critical health […]

The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group has approved a $46 million loan, about N70.4 billion to finance the Sokoto State Health Infrastructure Project.

The initiative was designed to enhance health care access and quality in Sokoto State, Nigeria, the AFDB noted in a statement on Friday.

The project addresses critical health system gaps in Sokoto, where key indicators reflect a critical need for intervention.

Report noted that only one in 20 children is fully vaccinated while infant mortality stands at 104 deaths per 1,000 live births, nearly double Nigeria’s national average of 63.

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Less than 14 per cent of health facilities in the state have functional infrastructure, and there is just one doctor for every 8,285 people – far below the World Health Organisation’s recommended ratio of 1:1,000.

The bank’s financing, according to the statement, will support the delivery of climate-smart health infrastructure across three levels of care.

These include the construction and equipping of a 1,000-bed teaching hospital complex, three zonal hospitals with a combined capacity of 450 beds, and six primary health care cantres strategically located to serve rural communities.

The project also includes the rehabilitation of health training institutions and the development of a modern medical warehouse to strengthen pharmaceutical supply chains.

“This investment illustrates our commitment to continue working with the government to fill critical infrastructure gaps in Nigeria’s health system, while building resilient, climate-adapted health care facilities,” the director-general of the African Development Bank’s Nigeria Office, Abdul Kamara said.

“By strengthening health care infrastructure in Sokoto State, we are building hope and creating pathways to better health outcomes for millions of Nigerians,” he added.