The Katsina State Government and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have agreed to develop a Universal Child Benefit (UCB) scheme to tackle child malnutrition, school exclusion and household food insecurity.
The agreement followed a meeting between Governor Dikko Umaru Radda and a UNICEF delegation led by Shafeeq UrRehman, Chief of the UNICEF Kano Field Office, at the Government House in Katsina.
The proposed scheme will combine financial support for vulnerable households with backyard farming, agricultural value-chain development, school enrolment initiatives and other social protection measures.
The initiative aims to address the underlying causes of child vulnerability through sustainable, household-focused interventions.
UNICEF commended the state government’s investment in child health over the past three years, describing Katsina as a model for child-centred programs.
Both parties agreed to establish a technical working group to develop the scheme’s implementation framework and financing model.
