Korede Abdullah 
ILORIN, Nigeria – The Kwara State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to reducing teenage pregnancy and improving maternal and child health through sustained investments, health sector reforms and stronger collaboration with development partners.
The commitment was announced during the two-day finalisation meeting of the 2026 Joint Annual Review (JAR) of the health sector held in Ilorin on Saturday.
Commissioner for Health Amina El-Imam said the state has implemented community sensitisation programmes and other interventions to tackle teenage pregnancy and child marriage while strengthening maternal healthcare and family planning services.
“These reforms have focused on infrastructure development, primary healthcare revitalisation, human resource strengthening, health insurance expansion and aggressive disease control programmes,” El-Imam said.
She described the Joint Annual Review as an important accountability and planning platform, noting that the institutionalisation of the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp) has improved coordination among government agencies and development partners.
According to the commissioner, the state has prioritised the training of frontline health workers, strengthened emergency referral services through the State Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System (SEMSAS) and RESMAT, expanded specialised healthcare at the Children Specialist Hospital, Centre Igboro, and invested in midwifery training institutions.
El-Imam disclosed that Kwara achieved ACT malaria treatment rates of between 97 and 100 per cent across its 16 local government areas. However, she acknowledged persistent gaps in intermittent preventive treatment during pregnancy (IPTp), facility-based deliveries and postnatal care utilisation.
She called for evidence-based recommendations to accelerate progress towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC) while reducing maternal and child deaths.
Speaking on the sidelines of the event, SWAp State Coordinator Ola Ahmed said the annual review assessed the health sector’s achievements and identified areas requiring improvement.
“We look at what we have done well, identify areas where performance was below expectations, and discuss the gaps,” Ahmed said.
He added that the review compared current performance with established targets to guide health sector planning for 2027.
In separate goodwill messages, the Olupo of Ajase-Ipo, Oba Ismail Yahaya Alebiosu, and the Ohoro of Shao, Dr Johnson Atolagbe Obalowu, commended the state government’s healthcare reforms and pledged continued support for community awareness campaigns, particularly those aimed at preventing teenage pregnancy.
About the Author
Hussaini Ibrahim 
Edino Chubiyo Cornelius 
