ABUJA, Nigeria – The Federal Government says it has secured more than $65 million in financial and in-kind commitments from private sector partners to strengthen maternal and newborn healthcare and reduce preventable deaths across Nigeria.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, announced the commitments on Wednesday during the 2026 Joint Annual Review in Abuja, where he launched the Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative (MAMII) Private Sector Compact. The initiative is expected to mobilise private investment, essential medicines, medical technologies and technical expertise to address healthcare gaps in 172 high-burden Local Government Areas across 33 states.
Pate said the partnership would complement government interventions aimed at improving maternal and newborn survival, particularly by addressing gaps in access to essential services and emergency care. He also highlighted national policies and clinical guidelines covering emergency obstetric and newborn care, obstetric fistula, family planning, and sexual and reproductive health.
The ministry is also expanding clinical training through the TEAM OB/NEO programme to improve the management of obstetric and newborn emergencies. At the scientific conference, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, called for harmonised health indicators and reliable data to guide policy decisions. Salako disclosed that 59 abstracts had been selected for presentation from 242 submissions. He also outlined targets for assessing primary healthcare facilities and evaluating government health programmes.
On nutrition, the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Senator Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, said the National Food and Nutrition Bill had been approved for transmission to the National Assembly. The ministry also disclosed that the Child Nutrition Fund had reached $52 million, comprising $26 million from Nigeria and an equivalent contribution from development partners. It said nutrition services would be integrated into routine primary healthcare delivery.
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