Lokoja, Nigeria – Kogi State is deepening its commitment to data-driven healthcare delivery, rolling out a series of reforms, training programmes, and technology deployments aimed at improving health outcomes across its 21 local government areas. The state’s health authorities say the goal is to ensure that decision-making, disease surveillance, and service delivery are all backed by accurate, timely, and actionable data.
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Boosting Workforce Capacity
One of the state’s major steps came in November 2023, when the Kogi State Primary Health Care Development Agency (KSPHCDA) trained 315 health workers—15 from each LGA—on accurate data collection and reporting. The training, supported by the World Health Organization’s “Can Give Project,” focused on health interventions such as immunisation tracking, vitamin supplementation, and routine health reporting.
Officials say this effort is already paying off, as health workers now demonstrate improved competency in recording patient data, reducing reporting errors, and ensuring a more reliable health information management system.
Investment in Modern Data Tools
In May 2023, KSPHCDA took another decisive step by procuring data collation and reporting tools worth over ₦20 million. These included updated NHIS registers, immunisation forms, facility registers, and other essential data-tracking materials.
The tools, handed over to the Kogi State Ministry of Health, are being distributed to health facilities to standardise reporting formats and streamline the collation process. Authorities say this will help close data gaps and ensure that reports sent from local facilities to the state health database are uniform and verifiable.
Digital Disease Surveillance Upgrades
To strengthen its capacity for detecting and responding to health threats, Kogi State, in partnership with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), introduced digital disease surveillance tools in March 2025. Initially deployed in tertiary and secondary health facilities, these tools allow real-time data capture and reporting on notifiable diseases.
Health officials say there are plans to expand this digital surveillance network to primary healthcare centres, giving the state a more comprehensive and faster-responding disease monitoring system.
Digitising Health Insurance Operations
In January 2025, the Kogi State Health Insurance Agency (KGSHIA) trained desk officers and medical directors of accredited facilities on electronic encounter management, e-claims processing, and e-data reporting. This transition to digital record-keeping is part of efforts to ensure efficiency in health insurance service delivery, particularly under the Tertiary Institution Social Health Insurance Programme (T-SHIP).
According to KGSHIA, the programme already has over 26,000 registered students, and the new e-reporting system will help track claims, monitor service quality, and speed up reimbursements.
Strategic Health Planning Through SWAp
Beyond facility-level interventions, the state is also embracing system-wide health planning reforms. In July 2025, Kogi hosted a four-day workshop under the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp) initiative, with participation from federal health partners.
The workshop equipped health managers and planners with skills in generating, analysing, and applying health data for policy and budgeting decisions. Officials say this bottom-up approach ensures that health priorities are based on actual community needs rather than assumptions, making resource allocation more effective.
A Holistic, Data-First Strategy
Speaking on the state’s efforts, KSPHCDA officials emphasised that data is now at the heart of health policy in Kogi.
“Accurate data means better decisions. Whether we are responding to a disease outbreak, allocating funds, or evaluating programme impact, the quality of our data determines the success of our interventions,” one senior health official noted.
Observers say the multi-sector approach—covering workforce training, infrastructure investment, technology adoption, and strategic planning—positions Kogi State as one of the more forward-thinking subnational governments in Nigeria’s healthcare sector.
If fully implemented and sustained, the reforms are expected to: improve early detection and control of disease outbreaks, enhance the accuracy of health statistics for policy formulation, increase transparency and efficiency in health insurance operations, ensure health budgets are informed by verified local data, strengthen public trust in the state’s healthcare system.
Public health experts point out that data-driven systems are not just about technology, but also about cultivating a culture of accountability and continuous improvement in service delivery.
With these initiatives in motion, Kogi State appears determined to make data a central pillar of its healthcare delivery framework. The combination of human capacity building, investment in modern tools, digital integration, and strategic planning could serve as a model for other states seeking to modernise their health systems.
As implementation progresses, stakeholders will be watching closely to see how these reforms translate into measurable improvements in the state’s health indices—especially in areas such as maternal and child health, immunisation coverage, and epidemic response. By Shalom Chidozie for USAfricalive.com
