No fewer than four million children in Kano State are experience multidimensional poverty, lacking essential access to health, education, and nutrition services.
Chief of UNICEF Field Office Kano,
Mr. Rahama Rihood Mohammed Farah
made the disclosure at a Media Dialogue on Child Sensitive Budgeting and Planning in Kano State on Tuesday.
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“Approximately over three million children live in monetary poverty, with families severely limited in meeting basic needs.
According to him, about 35 percent of children at Primary and Junior Secondary schooling age are not attending schools which means nearly 2.3 million children are out of school.
“This is threatening Kano State’s future human capital and economic development,” Mr. Farah said.
He said of the 6.5 million children in Kano, nearly 4.7 million children aged 6–23 months are not receiving the minimum acceptable diet, impeding their healthy growth and brain development.
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“This is leading to more than three million children under five stunted, indicating chronic malnutrition with serious long-term health and productivity consequences.
“Moreover, Children in Kano continue to face the risk of the circulating polio variant. In 2025, so far 3 cases are reported from Kano state,” the Unicef official said.
He noted that despite these challenges, the social sector in the state has often been underfunded relative to the magnitude of these challenges.
“Between 2016 and 2020, allocations for social sectors such as health, education, and social welfare have fluctuated, sometimes declining despite increasing demands.
He, however, stated that investing in children’s health, nutrition, education, protection, and participation is not charity; rather it is an essential and strategic investment by Kano State.
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“It’s an investment in Kano’s future human capital, and most importantly it is an investment to break cycles of poverty, build resilience, and secure lasting peace and prosperity.
“Kano State has an estimated 6.5 million children under 18 years.This is a stark reminder of the urgent need to strengthen child survival interventions,” he added.
