According to the state ministry of planning, the population of Sokoto state was predicted to be 5.1 million in 2017, growing at a pace of 3% per year, with roughly 4.5 million people without health insurance. The Health Finance and Governance (HFG) Project, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), supported the mobilization of domestic resources, the reduction of financial barriers, the expansion of health insurance, and the implementation of provider payment systems in efforts to ensure the realization of universal health coverage for the indigent, poor, and vulnerable residents of Sokoto state.

Governor Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal established the Sokoto State Contributory Health Care Management Agency (SOCHEMA) plan bill as a result of this support in 2016. The project used workshops and campaigning visits to gain state-wide stakeholder support prior to the implementation of the scheme bill. The Sokoto State House of Assembly held a public hearing on the SOCHEMA bill, which was attended by key stakeholders from various sectors, including community leaders, religious leaders, trade unions, labor unions, professionals, and business owners.

An increase from to of the state consolidated revenue fund (CRF), a contribution from local government associations (LGAs), 240 million NGN monthly from the Zakat fund (funds collected from obligatory annual payments under Islamic law on certain types of property and used for charitable and religious purposes), and 0.5 percent of contract funds were among the provisions for additional sources of funding. A conference for journalists and media practitioners was also held to educate the public about the components of the health contributory system in order to effectively communicate the scheme's benefits to the public. HFG contributed to the creation of a draft Health Financing Policy Framework document that would guide all health financing mechanisms in the state across the three health financing functions and is consistent with the National Health Financing Policy. SOCHEMA also received organizational development support from HFG, which included staff capacity building training and coordination assistance to promote increased efficiency and alignment of financial targets.