By Sani Adamu Hassan
The Bauchi State Government, in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA, has organised a two-day workshop to train members of the academic community on harnessing demographic dividends for development.
Declaring the event open, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Budget, Economic Planning and Multilateral Coordination, Jibrin Mohammed Yusuf, said the goal was to generate accurate, home-grown data to help the government plan better.
He said it was wrong for outsiders who barely understand the state’s realities to conduct surveys that end up portraying Bauchi negatively. According to him, the academics selected for the training are indigenes who understand the local context and can gather more reliable data.
Jibrin Yusuf explained that the focus of the training is to identify key population groups such as women, children, persons with disabilities, and others, so the government can develop tailored and effective solutions to their challenges.
He stressed that using local researchers will help stop the reliance on inaccurate external reports, which often reflect only a tiny fraction of the population and distort the true picture of the state.
Also speaking, UNFPA Gender and Reproductive Health Analyst, Deborah Tabara, said the agency is working closely with Bauchi State to promote safe childbirth, youth empowerment, and access to family planning services across the country.
She said the training was part of UNFPA’s broader mission of reducing maternal deaths, ending gender-based violence, and improving planning at the state level. Participants at the workshop were drawn from tertiary institutions and other relevant sectors across Bauchi State.
