By Sulaiman A. Hassan.
Kano State’s Technical Working Group (TWG) on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) convened on Thursday, August 21, 2025, at the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) to assess the state’s progress and challenges in tackling NCDs such as diabetes, hypertension, and mental health conditions.
The meeting brought together representatives from the Ministry of Health, partner organizations including Project HOPE, CHAI, RTSL, HSDF, and GAMMUN, with the objective of reviewing control strategies, enhancing decentralization efforts, and aligning plans for the upcoming World Diabetes Day and World Mental Health Day.
Delivering welcome remarks on behalf of the Commissioner for Health, Dr Aminu Bashir, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, emphasized the government’s ongoing commitment to strengthening NCD control and coordination.
The Director of Public Health, Dr. Ibrahim Aliyu Umar also addressed the group, commending partners for their support and stressing the importance of regular engagement.
He recommended that TWG meetings be held monthly rather than quarterly to ensure timely monitoring of progress and quicker resolution of coordination gaps.
Key sessions included updates from partners on ongoing interventions, discussions on strategic documents like the National Multisectoral Action Plan (NMSAP) and Essential Medicines List (EML), and a review of current data systems and KPIs. The group also finalized media and public engagement plans for the 2025 commemorations of World Diabetes and World Mental Health Days. The meeting concluded with a summary of key decisions and task assignments, marking a renewed and more frequent approach to combating NCDs in Kano State.
