The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called on the Kano State Government to urgently prioritize children in its 2026 budget.
Speaking at a media dialogue on child-sensitive budgeting held in Kano on Tuesday, Mr. Rahama Farah, Chief of UNICEF Field Office in Kano, said the time for promises is over, and that the next budget must clearly reflect the real needs of the over 6.5 million children living in the state.
According to him, child sensitive budgeting remains a non-negotiable investment for Kano State’s future.
“We gather today not just for dialogue, but for urgent action. Our agenda is singular and critical, ensuring Kano State’s budgets and plans consciously, deliberately, and effectively prioritize the well-being, development, and protection of every child,” he said.
Despite ongoing efforts to improve the lives of children in Kano State, Mr. Farah said the data on their condition tells a compelling and urgent story.
He revealed that around 143,000 children under five die every year in the state before their fifth birthday. In addition, more than 2.9 million children are not fully immunized, and over 2.3 million are out of school.
“Around 4 million children in Kano experience multidimensional poverty, lacking essential access to health, education, and nutrition services.
He added that approximately over 3 million children live in monetary poverty, with families severely limited in meeting basic needs.
“Nearly 4.7 million children aged 6-23 months are not receiving the minimum acceptable diet, impeding their healthy growth and brain development which lead to more than 3 million children under five stunted.’
He explained that child-sensitive budgeting goes beyond simply allocating funds to health and education.
“It requires targeted, visible, and transparent investments in children’s survival, development, and protection, especially those living in hard-to-reach areas or in poverty.
UNICEF warned that critical child-focused programmes such as nutrition, early childhood education, and child protection remain underfunded.
Farah urged state officials to make child-focused budgeting a top priority in the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and upcoming 2026 budget.
“Investing in children’s health, nutrition, education, protection, and participation is not charity; it is an essential and strategic investment by Kano State. It’s an investment in Kano’s future human capital to break cycles of poverty, build resilience, and secure lasting peace and prosperity.”
The Deputy Speaker of the Kano State House of Assembly, Muhammad Bello Butu-Butu, said that children are the future of the state, and the House is committed to passing new laws or amending existing ones to improve the lives of children and citizens in general.
He added that ministries and departments must put in more effort to ensure that funds are released on time and used for the purpose they were budgeted for.
“The House of Assembly is also committed to its oversight responsibilities. We now consider performance before making allocations,” he added stressing the need for ministries to show results before receiving more funds.
The Deputy Speaker also called on professionals and civil society organizations to actively participate during the public hearing stages of the budget process.
“During the budget presentation, professionals, media and CSOs must contribute their quota. They should speak up to make sure children are properly prioritized in the budget,” he said.
