Shugabanci : un partenariat pour la transformation des systèmes de soins de santé primaires

Timeline: Juin 2015 – Juin 2016 | Status: Completed

Kaduna, Nasarawa and Niger States, Nigeria

Project Overview

Transforming a health system requires more than improving infrastructure or increasing funding—it demands strong leadership, effective governance, and institutions capable of delivering quality services consistently. Recognising this, the Health Strategy and Delivery Foundation (HSDF), with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, launched Shugabanci: Partnership for Transforming Primary Health Care Systems, a four-year initiative implemented between Novembre 2016 and Novembre 2020.

Meaninging "leadership" or "good governance" in Hausa, Shugabanci represented the next phase of HSDF's partnership with the governments of Kaduna, Nasarawa, and Niger States. Rather than introducing parallel systems, the programme focused on strengthening existing government institutions, empowering leaders, and embedding sustainable management practices within primary healthcare systems.

Through close collaboration with policymakers, health managers, and frontline institutions, the programme supported reforms that improved planning, accountability, governance, and performance across the participating states. By fostering local ownership and institutional capacity, Shugabanci contributed to building more resilient primary healthcare systems capable of delivering better services to communities long after the programme's completion.

As Nigeria pursued stronger primary healthcare systems, many states continued to face institutional challenges that limited effective service delivery. Weak governance arrangements, fragmented coordination, inconsistent management practices, and limited accountability often prevented health programmes from achieving their full impact.

Improving these systems required more than technical solutions—it required strengthening the people, institutions, and leadership structures responsible for managing healthcare delivery.

HSDF worked alongside state governments as a long-term technical partner, providing strategic support to strengthen the governance and management of primary healthcare systems. The programme focused on:

Strengthening leadership and governance within state primary healthcare agencies.
Improving planning, coordination, and performance management.
Supporting institutional reforms that enhanced accountability.
Building management capacity across different levels of the health system.
Embedding sustainable processes that could be maintained by government institutions beyond the life of the project.

Rather than implementing services directly, the programme invested in strengthening the systems responsible for delivering those services.

Over four years, Shugabanci helped reinforce the institutional foundations of primary healthcare across Kaduna, Nasarawa, and Niger States. The programme supported stronger governance structures, improved management processes, and fostered a culture of accountability and continuous performance improvement within government health institutions.

Its emphasis on government ownership and capacity development positioned participating states to sustain reforms and continue strengthening primary healthcare long after the programme concluded.