Abuja: The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has trained health leaders and managers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on the development of smart, budget-linked and data-driven Annual Operational Plan (AOP). The four-day training, which concluded on Saturday in Abuja, was conducted under the National Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NSHRII), focusing on leadership, health system strengthening, and planning capacity development.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe, the Mandate Secretary of FCT Health Services and Environment Secretariat (FCT HSES), stated that the training represents a significant step toward the creation of a data-driven and smart budget-linked 2026 AOP. This initiative is intended to align with the FCT budget and enable the administration to access available funds from the Disbursement-Linked Indicators (DLIs).
Dr. Fasawe explained that more than 70 senior health officials, program managers, and planning officers from across the FCT, area councils, and various development and implementing partners took part in the four-day stepdown training. She emphasized the importance of the training as a pivotal move toward strengthening health systems and developing a budget-linked AOP that aligns with government priorities, allowing donors and development partners to engage effectively.
The training was facilitated by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, as noted by Dr. Teresa Nwachukwu, the acting Director of Health Planning Research and Statistics at FCT HSES. Dr. Nwachukwu, who also serves as the FCT SWAp Desk Officer, highlighted that the training addressed the capacity gap among health managers and leaders nationwide, equipping them with essential skills for the development of the 2026 AOP from the Health Sector Strategic Blueprint (HSSB).
The training aimed to align the plan with the FCT budget while strategically incorporating flagship initiatives such as the HOPE Health Agenda, HSSB, and the Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative (MAMII). This alignment is part of the broader framework under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Health Agenda supported by NSHRII, HOPE Health, and SWAp.
Participants were trained in practical leadership, planning, and governance tools essential for driving efficient health service delivery. The training prioritized evidence-based budgeting, results-oriented planning, and multi-stakeholder coordination, which are crucial for system-wide accountability and impact.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that participants received training on principles and contexts such as HSSB, SWAp, MAMII, HOPE Governance, and HOPE Health. They enhanced their capacities in health systems, frameworks, system thinking, and were introduced to problem-solving tools and bottlenecks analysis. Other training areas included intervention prioritization techniques, data literacy for decision-making, monitoring evaluation, and accountability.
The hands-on training also covered the web-based AOP tool, leadership, team building, and change management. A key outcome of the workshop was the identification of critical health financing gaps within the FCT, notably in the areas of poor health funding and the lack of budget lines for monitoring and evaluation activities.
Participants highlighted the need for development partners to align their funding and programs with government-led strategies and to jointly develop the 2026 AOP to ensure that donor inputs directly support FCT-specific health priorities. Recommendations were made to strengthen area council-level financing and improve budget releases at both the state and area council levels. Additionally, participants advocated for increased domestic and donor resources for health system strengthening and called for an increased health budgetary allocation in accordance with the 15 percent Abuja Declaration of April 27, 2001.
