Private sector commits $65m to reduce maternal deaths in Nigeria – Pate

The Federal Government says private sector partners have committed 65 million dollars in cash and in-kind contributions to support efforts to reduce maternal and newborn deaths in Nigeria.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, said this on Wednesday in Abuja during inauguration of the Maternal Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative (MAMII) Private Sector Compact platform.

The government-led compact, supported by the World Economic Forum, Gates Foundation, MTN Foundation and MSD for Mothers, aligns private sector and philanthropic resources, expertise and delivery capabilities with national maternal and newborn health priorities.

The inauguration formed part of activities marking the second day of the 2026 Joint Annual Review (JAR), themed “Together to Higher Grounds: Make the Data Count”, in Abuja.

It was reported that the web-based platform is designed to track implementation coverage, partner contributions and outstanding gaps across participating states and local government areas nationwide.

The minister also inaugurated five national policies and frameworks intended to support the MAMII initiative in reducing maternal and neonatal mortality across Nigeria’s healthcare system.

They include the Obstetric Fistula Framework, National Sexual and Reproductive Health Policy, National Post-Partum Family Planning and Self-Care Guideline, Permanent Method of Family Planning, and National Task Shifting and Task Sharing (TSTS) Policy.

Pate said the documents would strengthen health workers’ capacity to provide quality services, complementing resources and innovations being mobilised through the initiative across the country.

He said the contributions reflected private sector commitment to complementing government efforts through funding, products, technology, logistics and other capabilities in the healthcare sector.

“We thank you on behalf of the 230 million Nigerians, and especially the women and children, because this is an effort that has already begun translating intent into tangible actions.

“Each one of you has something to offer. We are really glad to have you join this movement to continue crushing maternal deaths,” he said.

Earlier, Dr Dayo Adeyanju, MAMII Coordinator at the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp) Coordination Office, said the initiative was designed to mobilise private sector expertise and resources to address maternal healthcare gaps nationwide.

Adeyanju said the framework covered community-level identification and referral, physical and financial access, facility readiness and data governance across participating communities and health facilities.

“Calling the private sector does not mean that it should come and take over our responsibility. There is a lot the government has put in place, but we are saying that we cannot do it all,” he said.

He identified gaps in human resources, emergency obstetric care, supply chains, service quality, digital systems and emergency transportation as areas requiring additional support from partners.

Adeyanju said the private sector technical working group had held more than 30 meetings to match partners’ interests with identified needs and prevent duplication across local government areas.

He added that investment cases were being developed for states to demonstrate the economic value of reducing maternal deaths and support domestic resource mobilisation across the country.

The Country Director of the Gates Foundation, Uche Amaonwu, said the initiative offered a nationally led approach to ensure proven maternal and newborn health interventions reached women consistently and at scale nationwide.

“The challenge is getting those interventions to the women and newborns who need them consistently, at scale and with the quality they deserve,” he said.

Amaonwu said government could not achieve the objective alone, adding that businesses could contribute innovation, technology, supply chains and other capabilities beyond financial support.

He said the foundation supported the compact’s goal of ensuring that no mother or child died from preventable causes across Nigeria.

Mrs Odunayo Sanya, Executive Director of MTN Nigeria Foundation, said the foundation was working with the Gates Foundation on the 25 million-dollar Nigerian Maternal Health Multiplier initiative.

Represented by Pamela Emodi, Manager, National Priority Portfolio, Sanya said the initiative aimed to reach 500 primary healthcare centres, 5,000 frontline health workers and 500 women.

Sanya said preparations were underway following a co-creation workshop involving government, partners and implementers to develop a work plan and identify key stakeholders for implementation.

Iyadunni Olabode of MSD for Mothers said the organisation had worked with Nigerian stakeholders since 2015 to strengthen maternal health systems and address preventable deaths.

She said its support included research and implementation efforts on preventing postpartum haemorrhage, managing hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and strengthening integrated maternal care across health facilities.

Olabode said the organisation was pleased to support the government-led compact by aligning its resources and expertise with national priorities for improved maternal healthcare delivery.

In Kwara, the state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr Amina El-Imam, said MAMII had helped a woman whose belongings were lost in a fire access emergency caesarean delivery.

El-Imam said the experience demonstrated how the initiative could protect vulnerable families from financial hardship while improving access to emergency maternal healthcare services.

She, however, identified limited geographical coverage and financial constraints as challenges, adding that Kwara had strengthened maternal and child death surveillance to improve reporting.

In Abia, the state’s Commissioner for Health, Prof. Enoch Uche, said three local government areas covered by MAMII previously accounted for more than 30 per cent of maternal deaths statewide.

He said 52 women identified with high-risk pregnancies in the areas had received care through the programme, and none had died since receiving intervention.

Uche said the state integrated MAMII into its healthcare reform agenda and introduced Cytrak, a digital tracking tool, to identify and follow up high-risk pregnancies.

He said community engagement, including involvement of traditional rulers and women’s groups, had helped address initial resistance to the programme across the state.

Seven private sector and philanthropic organisations, DP World, Bayer, UNICEF, dsm-firmenich, Nestlé Nutrition Institute, Roche and Ferring Pharmaceuticals, also expressed commitment to supporting MAMII and strengthening maternal healthcare delivery nationwide.

The organisations pledged contributions to strengthen maternal and newborn healthcare, improve access to essential commodities, build local capacity, support health workers and enhance service delivery nationwide.

Their commitments included funding, technical expertise, innovation and supply chain support, alongside broader maternal and neonatal health investments, including more than N10 billion secured for neonatal facilities in about four northern states.