By Bashir Hassan Abubakar
Amidst fanfare, pageantry and emotional moments, the Eight (8) Year Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Funded Project titled “Evidence for Action Mamaye Activity (E4A) have finally closed out their program in Bauchi State on Tuesday 5th July, 2022.
In a well attended close-out meeting held at Hazibal Hotel Conference Hall in Bauchi, the State Capital, E4A Mamaye Country Lead Esther Agbon, while giving a review and evaluation of the project, said that since 2012 Evidence for Action (E4A)-MamaYe has worked to improve maternal and newborn survival in sub-Saharan Africa.
Agbon, who joined the meeting virtually from Abuja, said that E4A had worked with relevant stakeholders to ensure that the best available health system data is used by the right people at the right time.
She also revealed that the project facilitated the establishment and collaboration with multi-stakeholder accountability mechanism and also support Bauchi and other beneficiary States to transform data into easy to understand information.
The Country lead said that E4A program was able to support States in establishing Coalition of stakeholders that has came to be known as “State Led Accountability Mechanisms (SLAMs)” which she said, “had tremendously contributed and created an enabling environment for advocates and policymakers to improve maternal and neonatal health outcomes in Bauchi, Lagos and Niger States."
With reference to the Bauchi Coalition known as Bauchi State Accountability Mechanism for Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health (BaSAM), Agbon said that in the period under review, the coalition was able to use evidence-based advocacy to influenced favourable commitment that enhanced health care services in Bauchi State.
While highlighting some major successes recorded by Coalition, the Country Lead said that BaSAM have been able to increase and institutionalize accountability processes and also used scorecards and evidence briefs to strengthen the use of evidence by government and hold government accountable for health planning and resource allocation commitments.
She also noted that BaSAM advocacy had resulted in improved budget performance and resources mobilized for priority maternal and newborn health issues.
“In Bauchi state, BaSAM had contributed, through their advocacy, to the health budget increased allocation from 11.48% in 2019 to over 15% in 2022
“Also, the budget allocation to child birth spacing in the State has increased from 0.42% to 0.64% of the health budget from 2019 to 2021 respectively. This is partly due to BaSAM consistent evidence advocacy using scorecards to influenced policy makers to effect the increase”, said the country lead.
On the current status of BaSAM , Mrs. Agbon said that the Coalition is well equipped with tools and templates and has capacity to use and analyses data and to generate evidence for advocacy.
She further reiterated that, “with the near completion of the coalition registration as a full-fledged corporate entity, BaSAM is on the pathway to sustainability and working towards a governance and legal structure that supports receipt of small grants from donors”.
Earlier in his presentation, the Co-chair CSO of BaSAM, Mr. Abu John Yusuf said the coalition will work to ensure a strengthened and harmonized health advocacy and engagement in the Bauchi state.
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He also used the occasion to disclosed the Coalition’s resolve to avail it’s platform to all Health MDAs and Implementing partners in the state.
While commending E4A Mamaye Project for mentoring the Coalition, Mr. Yusuf said that going forward, BaSAM will further contribute it’s quota in strengthening the demand end of health by expanding its stakeholders engagement through increased community mobilization exercise.
“Not only will BaSAM sustain it’s activities, we shall also scale-up all the past gains, including state partners ownership of score-cards development and other components of public health and development in Bauchi State. The future is very bright for BaSAM, especially with the near completion of our registration as an NGO”, said the Co-chair.
Highlights of the occasion was the presentation of awards and gifts from both E4A and BaSAM and the symbolic cutting of cake to officially signal the close-out of the E4A Mamaye Activity in Bauchi State.
BaSAM is a coalition whose membership is drawn from relevant State health MDAs, Civil Society Organizations and the Media, using evidence to advocate for improved MNCH in Bauchi State.
Our correspondent reports that the close-out meeting attracted guests from State health related MDAs, Implementing partners, CSOs, media and members of the general public.
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