Sokoto, UNFPA inaugurate two-year scholarship to train 500 rural midwives
The Sokoto State Government, with support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), has unveiled a two-year scholarship scheme for 500 midwives to be trained and deployed to rural communities.
The Sokoto State Government, with support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), has unveiled a two-year scholarship scheme for 500 midwives to be trained and deployed to rural communities.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the initiative, tagged the Community Midwifery Scholarship and Bonding Scheme in Sokoto State, is funded by the European Union (EU) to strengthen maternal healthcare delivery.
Under the scheme, 500 women and girls from rural areas will receive full scholarships to study community midwifery and, upon graduation, return to their communities to provide essential healthcare services.
Read Also: Tinubu reforms boost real sector revenues, counter opposition claims — IMPI
Governor Ahmad Aliyu inaugurated the programme yesterday after declaring open the eighth Sokoto State Council on Health meeting, organised by the state government in collaboration with UNFPA and other development partners.
Aliyu described the initiative as a landmark step toward improving maternal health services, noting that his administration introduced a Mandatory Rural Posting Policy to ensure equitable distribution of healthcare workers across underserved communities.
“Under this policy, about 1,500 nurses and midwives have been recruited and deployed to underserved rural communities, with an incentive of 10 per cent of their basic salary for those serving in rural areas.
“This initiative is already strengthening service delivery at the grassroots. In compliance with National Primary Healthcare Development Agency guidelines, the state has also recruited 2,400 Community Health Workers,” he said.
