The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Taraba government, on Friday, awarded contracts for the revamping of 11 primary healthcare centres (PHCs) in six local government areas in the state, with funding from the Global Fund.

Speaking at the event in Jalingo, the chief of UNICEF, Bauchi field office, Nuzhat Rafique, urged the contractors to carry out their assignments with honesty, dedication, and professionalism.

Ms Rafique said the official handover of selected primary healthcare facilities by the Taraba government to UNICEF, through the Commissioner for Health, Bondiya Buma, signified an important collaboration to save the lives of mothers and children.

She charged the chairmen of the benefiting councils to take responsibility for the projects by ensuring quality delivery and timely completion to enhance maternal health.

“This is more than just construction work; it means saving the lives of mothers and children, and all of us must take it seriously,” she said.

Ms Rafique emphasised that contractors must justify the confidence reposed in them by delivering quality projects that would have a significant impact on women and children in the benefiting communities and the state at large.

She named the benefiting LGAs as Ardo-Kola, Bali, Gassol, Karim-Lamido, Sardauna, and Zing.

In a remark, the commissioner thanked the Global Fund for its support to Taraba and praised UNICEF for ensuring transparency in the contractor selection process.

He affirmed the state government’s commitment to providing an enabling environment for contractors to complete the projects within the stipulated time frame.

Mr Buma also appealed to facility managers to cooperate with contractors to ensure timely completion, noting that communities in the state would benefit immensely from the intervention.

Also speaking, the executive secretary, Taraba Primary Health Care Development Agency, Nuhu Tukura, lauded UNICEF and the Global Fund for their continued support.

Mr Tukura urged the media to sustain coverage of the state government’s programmes, particularly in the health sector.

The project, being implemented by UNICEF with funding from the Global Fund, is expected to be completed by March 2026.

(NAN)