The Kano State Government has announced that the state is set to witness between an estimated 600,000 and 700,000 new births in 2026, a development it said could place additional strain on the State’s healthcare system.
The projection was disclosed by the Executive Secretary of the Kano State Hospitals Management Board, Dr. Mansur Mudi Nagoda, over the weekend, during the first convocation ceremony of Sardauna College of Health Sciences and Technology held in Kano.
Dr. Nagoda explained that the estimate was drawn from population growth projections based on the 2006 census, which put Kano’s annual growth rate at about 3.5 per cent. He noted that the steady rise in population has continued to outpace the availability of health personnel and infrastructure in the state.
He said Kano is currently grappling with a shortage of roughly 4,000 qualified health professionals, warning that the expected increase in births could further widen the gap and affect service delivery across public health facilities.
Speaking on capacity building, Dr. Nagoda called on health training institutions to strengthen the practical components of their programmes to ensure graduates were well prepared to serve at the community level.
He also revealed that the state government is making plans to employ additional health workers, with a strategy to prioritise deployment to areas with limited access to healthcare, including Doguwa, Rogo, and Sumaila local government areas of the State.