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Journalists have been urged to take a more active role in monitoring health financing in order to strengthen transparency and accountability within the health sector. This call was made during a media briefing held in Kano State, North West Nigeria, by the Network of Health Equity and Development (NHED), in collaboration with civil society partners.
Dr Jerome Mafeni, NHED’s Senior Technical Adviser, highlighted the importance of media engagement in ensuring that public funds allocated to health are used effectively. Addressing the institutionalisation of the Health Security Financing Accountability Framework (HSFAF) in Kano, Dr Mafeni emphasised that journalists must scrutinise government spending, track financial flows, and expose both shortcomings and successes. “The HSFAF provided a structure to follow the money, track spending and support transparency,” he said.
He praised the Kano State Government for its recent efforts, including the passage of the Public Health Security Bill and the official adoption of the HSFAF. “Kano has made significant strides in recent months. These are critical first steps toward building a system that ensures readiness in the face of health emergencies,” he noted.
However, Dr Mafeni stressed that enacting policies is only the beginning, and urged stakeholders, particularly the media, to stay involved during the implementation phase. “Implementation requires resources, monitoring and public engagement. This is where the media has a vital role to play. NHED is calling on journalists to go beyond one-time event reporting to ask tough questions, track funding flows, and bring attention to both gaps and achievements in epidemic preparedness.”
He added, “Health security is not just a government responsibility; it is a public good. We urge you to track the implementation of this framework, spotlight both progress and bottlenecks, and keep the spotlight on health security financing – not only in emergencies, but every day.”
Tessy Nongo, NHED’s Communications Lead, also underscored the importance of the media in building public trust and strengthening readiness for future health threats. She described journalists as essential partners in promoting awareness and accountability.
In the same vein, Salisu Yusuf, representing the Kano State Civil Society Forum, called on the government to publish quarterly performance reports. He explained that doing so would allow residents to assess whether public funds are truly addressing the community’s needs.
