Ebonyi: NGO Calls for Private Sector engagement in Primary Health Centers supervision

Uka Dave


A Non- Governmental Organization, Life Transformation for Africa Initiative (LIFT4AFRICA) has called for the establishment of a private sector engagement unit within the Primary Health Centers Departments of Local Government Areas of Ebonyi State to assist in mobilizing resources for Integrated Supportive Supervision (ISS) activities in the State.


The Program Manager of LIFT4AFRICA, Mr. Ezeani Chiemezie who made the call over the weekend at a media roundtable organized by the foundation in Abakaliki, the capital of Ebonyi state said non-inclusion of private sector partners in funding and supporting ISS activities in the state is depriving the state of valuable resources.

He said that the initiative, anchored by the Better Life Restoration Initiative (BERI), aimed at achieving the USAID-funded five-year Health System Strengthening Cluster project in the state.

He said the project, implemented by Palladium in collaboration with Nigeria Resource Partners (RPS), is titled “Improved Quality Healthcare Service Delivery through ISS.”

He explained that the unit, would play a crucial role in mobilizing resources for ISS activities, thereby reducing the heavy reliance on donor funding.

“Domestic financial support for ISS in Ebonyi is inadequate, leading to high dependency on donor funding,” Ezeani noted. “While donor support is important, it is mostly unsustainable and has debilitating effects on ISS continuity.”

Ezeani identified several challenges facing ISS activities in Ebonyi, including the high cost of fuel and transportation, which has negatively impacted the frequency and coverage of supervision, especially in hard-to-reach communities.

He also pointed out that supervision activities are primarily conducted in facilities receiving the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund and other interventions, leaving many health clinics and health posts without adequate oversight.

He pointed out that Ebonyi state has 504 primary health centers (PHCs), but only 171 of these centers, which amounts to one per ward, receive adequate supervision.

This lack of comprehensive supervision, he argued, severely undermines the quality of healthcare delivery across the state.

Ezeani stressed that without dedicated funding for ISS, the state’s healthcare system would continue to struggle with inefficiencies and poor service delivery

“The reliance on donor funding for conducting supervision is unsustainable,” he said.

“The non-inclusion of private sector partners in funding and supporting ISS activities in the state is depriving the state of valuable resources. Additionally, the absence of a Technical Working Group to plan and implement ISS activities in the state is having a negative impact.” He stated.

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