FG Flags Off Maternal Health Incentives, Targets 30% Cut in Maternal Deaths by 2028

By Pan Afric Reporters

The Federal Government has intensified its campaign against Nigeria’s high maternal and neonatal mortality rate with the flag-off of new incentives designed to encourage pregnant women to access antenatal care, skilled birth attendance and other life-saving maternal and newborn health services.

The development was contained in a statement signed by Ado Bako, Assistant Director, Information and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, following the official flag-off of the incentives under the Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative (MAMII) at the State House, Abuja, on September 14, 2026.

The initiative, launched by the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, is aimed at removing barriers that prevent women and newborns from accessing timely and quality healthcare, while strengthening ongoing efforts to reduce preventable deaths during pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period.

Speaking at the event, the First Lady said the intervention represented another important step towards ensuring that every Nigerian child had a healthy start in life and that no woman lost her life while giving birth.

She said the programme aligned with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, which places human capital development and improved health outcomes at the centre of national development.

According to her, reducing maternal and newborn mortality requires deliberate interventions that address the challenges confronting women and families in accessing essential healthcare services.

Senator Tinubu also called for stronger collaboration among government institutions, healthcare providers, development partners, communities and other stakeholders to ensure that interventions produce measurable improvements in maternal and newborn survival.

She said the incentives would complement existing government measures aimed at improving access to quality maternal and newborn healthcare and encouraging greater utilisation of available services.

The First Lady stressed that reducing maternal and neonatal mortality must remain a national priority, noting that every preventable death represents a loss that Nigeria must collectively work to avert.

She commended the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, and his team for their commitment to the health sector.

“It’s been a joy working with you. You work so passionately, even if people don’t know, not just locally but internationally,” she said.

“And what you have brought to this table has made it easy for me to do the job whenever you come, even no matter how tired I get. God bless you,” she added.

She also praised members of the ministerial team for their dedication to improving healthcare delivery.

“Your team too, it’s quite infectious. All of them are just there doing what is needful for Nigerians. I want to sincerely applaud you and thank you for all that you do,” Senator Tinubu said.

Over 60,000 Women Receive Free Caesarean Sections

In his remarks, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, said MAMII was developed under the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative to address both the supply and demand sides of maternal healthcare.

He said the intervention covers areas including the strengthening of primary healthcare facilities, human resources, essential commodities and affordability of services.

Pate stressed that pregnancy was not a disease and that no woman should lose her life while giving birth.

Giving an update on progress recorded under the initiative, the minister disclosed that more than 60,000 women had received free Caesarean sections and other emergency obstetric services through the National Health Insurance Authority.

He added that more than 120,000 frontline health workers had been retrained, while thousands of healthcare facilities had been revitalised.

According to him, more than 6,000 women affected by obstetric fistula had also received corrective treatment and empowerment support.

Pate said the new incentives were specifically designed to encourage pregnant women to seek antenatal care, skilled birth attendance and other essential maternal and newborn services.

He also highlighted the importance of maternal nutrition, including multiple micronutrient supplementation, linking the intervention to the Community Food Bank Initiative.

The minister said well-nourished mothers were critical to developing the human capital required to secure Nigeria’s future.

He called on state governments and Commissioners for Health to sustain and expand the gains recorded under MAMII, stressing that states were closer to communities and therefore had a critical role to play in improving health outcomes.

Nigeria Faces 1-in-19 Lifetime Maternal Death Risk

The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, said Nigeria’s maternal mortality burden remained unacceptably high and required sustained, targeted interventions.

Salako, in his welcome remarks, cited the 2023–24 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey as indicating that a Nigerian woman faces approximately a one-in-19 lifetime risk of dying from pregnancy-related causes.

He added that Nigeria accounts for close to 29 per cent of global maternal deaths, underscoring the urgency of the Federal Government’s intervention.

According to him, MAMII, launched by the Federal Government in November 2024, targets 172 Local Government Areas across 33 states, representing about 20 per cent of the country’s LGAs but accounting for approximately 55 per cent of maternal deaths.

The initiative seeks to reduce maternal mortality by 30 per cent and neonatal mortality by 20 per cent in the targeted areas by 2028, while providing free, timely and comprehensive care to about 2.9 million pregnant women.

32,000 Women, 1,700 Newborns Already Benefiting

Salako disclosed that more than 250 health facilities were currently implementing MAMII in Bauchi, Borno, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina and Ogun states.

He said more than 32,000 women and 1,700 newborns had already benefited from emergency obstetric and neonatal care under the initiative.

The Minister also disclosed that the National Emergency Medical Treatment and Ambulance System (NEMSAS) had transported nearly 79,000 beneficiaries, about 60 per cent of whom were pregnant women, to appropriate healthcare facilities.

He added that fourth-visit antenatal attendance in MAMII LGAs had increased by 20 per cent in one quarter.

Salako said the new incentives were designed to reinforce behaviours that could save lives, particularly early antenatal registration, facility-based delivery and postnatal follow-up.

He reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to ensuring that no Nigerian woman loses her life while giving birth.

Both Pate and Salako commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the First Lady, health sector agencies, state governments and development partners, including UNICEF, UNFPA, USAID and WHO, for their support.

They reaffirmed the Federal Government’s determination to accelerate interventions aimed at increasing the utilisation of essential maternal and newborn healthcare services and reducing preventable maternal and neonatal deaths across the country.