The Sultan Foundation for Peace and Development says it is collaborating with various partners to reduce the current 269,241 zero-dose children identified across seven local government areas in Zamfara by 30 per cent.

Aminu Muhammad, director of programmes of the foundation, made the disclosure on Wednesday at a one-day inception meeting on the Z-TRACE project held in Gusau, Zamfara.

Mr Muhammad said that the major community-based immunisation intervention would identify and vaccinate 80,772 zero-dose children, representing 30 per cent of the total number of children across seven priority local government areas of Zamfara, by the end of 2027.

He said that the initiative, the Zamfara Tracking and Accountability for Equitable Immunisation (Z-TRACE) project, is being funded by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, through its Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) Fund Mechanism, managed by MannionDaniels.

Mr Muhammad said the intervention was designed to tackle persistent barriers preventing vulnerable children from accessing life-saving vaccines.

According to him, the project is particularly significant because Zamfara has an estimated 269,241 zero-dose children, with a substantial proportion concentrated in seven priority LGAs.

He listed the targeted LGAs as Gusau, Talata Mafara, Shinkafi, Zurmi, Anka, Bakura and Tsafe.

He said that the project would target 80,772 children, representing 30 per cent of the state’s estimated zero-dose burden, through a data-driven and community-anchored approach.

Mr Muhammad noted that the intervention would deploy immunisation and equity intelligence, community mapping and the networks of community-based organisations (CBOs) to identify zero-dose and under-immunised children, particularly those living in underserved settlements.

“To ensure effective grassroots implementation, the Sultan Foundation has engaged seven community-based organisations to coordinate activities across the priority LGAs.

“They are the Save Mothers and Children Initiative in Anka; Health and Integrity of Women and Children Development Initiative in Bakura; Centre for Community Excellence in Gusau; Health Standard Concern Organisation (HESCO) in Shinkafi; Health Care Mobilisation Impact in Talata Mafara; Millennium Development Centre in Tsafe; and Voluntary Aid Initiative in Zurmi,” he said.

Mr Muhammad disclosed that the organisations would receive grants ranging from N45 million to N71 million, depending on the zero-dose burden and activities assigned to each LGA.

He said the grants formed part of the project’s total funding of $800,000 and would support implementation activities through December 2027.

Meanwhile, the deputy incident manager of the Polio Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) in Zamfara, Jamilu Bawa, said Zamfara had 20 confirmed cases of poliovirus this year, showing an increase of five cases compared to the 15 cases reported in 2025 and zero cases recorded in 2024.

Mr Bawa said the development was an indication of the huge gaps in the state’s routine immunisation mechanism.

He emphasised the need for stronger collaboration among government, development partners, civil society organisations and communities to tackle the challenges.

Mr Bawa, however, commended the Sultan Foundation for Peace and Development for initiating the Z-TRACE Project.

He described the intervention as timely in addressing the burden of zero-dose children and strengthening routine immunisation.

According to him, the state is currently facing outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, including polio and diphtheria, stressing that the situation requires concerted efforts to improve immunisation uptake at the grassroots.

He emphasised the need to create demand for immunisation by ensuring that mothers and caregivers understood its benefits and developed positive attitudes towards both routine immunisation and vaccination campaigns.

The meeting brought together representatives of government institutions, development partners, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to deliberate on strategies for improving immunisation coverage and reducing the number of zero-dose children in the state.

(NAN)