The Sokoto State Government has signed a N2.8 billion joint annual work plan with the United Nations Children Fund, UNICEF, on areas of health, education, water, sanitation and hygiene.

This was made known in a statement issued by Imam Imam, the spokesman to the Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal on Wednesday.

The agreement is meant to accelerate the realization of the right of all children and women to survival, development, protection and participation.

Speaking at the event which held in Sokoto, Governor Tambuwal said the state government has already fulfilled its own part of the agreement by paying the sum of N1.7 billion as counterpart funding.

He said the intervention of UNICEF in critical areas such as education, health, nutrition and sanitation has gone a long way in improving the lives of the people of the state.

The governor noted that his administration was paying particular attention to education as no meaningful human development could be attained without education.

He said the state government is fully committed to the execution of the annual work plan, assuring the UN body that the plan will be fully implemented.

The Country Representative of UNICEF, Muhammad Fall, commended the Sokoto State government, describing the partnership between the two parties as outstanding.

He praised Governor Tambuwal for providing the highest allocation to education sector in Sokoto’s annual budget for 2016 and 2017, adding that the 28% of the state’s budget which was voted for the education sector is even beyond the standard set by UNESCO.

Fall further pledged UNICEF’s commitment to the realization of the terms of the work plan.

Also speaking, UNICEF’s Chief Field Officer for Sokoto, Mohammad Mohiuddin, said all the parties to the agreement are committed to working together to ensure that the work plan was implemented and results achieved.