Abuja, September 14, 2026 — The Federal Government has intensified efforts to reduce maternal and newborn deaths in Nigeria with the official flag-off of incentives designed to increase the utilisation of maternal and newborn healthcare services under the Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative (MAMI).
The initiative, launched at the State House, Abuja, by Her Excellency, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, is aimed at addressing barriers that prevent women and newborns from accessing timely, quality and life-saving healthcare services, while strengthening Nigeria’s ongoing response to maternal and neonatal mortality.
Speaking at the occasion, Her Excellency, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, said the initiative represents another important step towards ensuring that every Nigerian child has a healthy start in life and that no woman loses her life while giving birth.
She said the intervention was aligned with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Administration, which places human capital development and improved health outcomes at the centre of national development.
According to her, improving maternal and newborn health requires deliberate interventions that address the challenges faced by women and families in accessing essential healthcare services, particularly during pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period.
Senator Tinubu emphasised the need for stronger collaboration among government institutions, healthcare providers, development partners, communities and other stakeholders to ensure that interventions translate into measurable improvements in maternal and newborn survival.
She noted that the introduction of incentives under MAMI would complement ongoing government efforts to improve access to quality maternal and newborn services, strengthen healthcare delivery and encourage greater utilisation of available services.
The First Lady further stressed that reducing maternal and neonatal mortality must remain a national priority, adding that every preventable maternal or newborn death represents a loss that Nigeria must collectively work to avert.
She commended the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, and his team, stressing that his ideas make her work easy. “It’s been a joy working with you. You work so passionately, even if people don’t know, not just locally but internationally. 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 prayed
“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.” She said.
In his remarks at the event, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, said MAMI was developed under the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative to address both the supply and demand sides of maternal healthcare, including strengthening primary healthcare facilities, human resources, essential commodities and affordability of services. He noted that pregnancy is not a disease and that no woman should lose her life while giving birth.
Highlighting progress recorded under the initiative, the Coordinating Minister disclosed that more than 60,000 women have received free Caesarean sections and other emergency obstetric services through the National Health Insurance Authority, while over 120,000 frontline health workers have been retrained.
He added that thousands of healthcare facilities have been revitalised and more than 6,000 women affected by obstetric fistula have received corrective treatment and empowerment support.
Professor Pate said the incentives being introduced under MAMI are aimed at encouraging pregnant women to access antenatal care, skilled birth attendance and other essential services. He also emphasised the importance of maternal nutrition, including multiple micronutrient supplementation, and linked the intervention to the Community Food Bank Initiative, stressing that well-nourished mothers are critical to developing the human capital needed for Nigeria’s future.
The Coordinating Minister called on State Governments and Commissioners for Health to sustain and expand the gains recorded under MAMI, noting that States are closer to communities and have a critical role in improving health outcomes.
The Honourable Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, in his welcome remarks, said Nigeria’s maternal mortality burden remains unacceptably high, with the 2023–24 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey indicating that a Nigerian woman faces approximately a 1-in-19 lifetime risk of dying from pregnancy-related causes. He added that Nigeria accounts for close to 29 percent of global maternal deaths, underscoring the urgency of sustained and targeted interventions.
Dr. Salako said MAMII, launched by the Federal Government in November 2024, targets 172 LGAs across 33 states, representing about 20 percent of the country’s LGAs but accounting for approximately 55 percent of maternal deaths. The initiative aims to reduce maternal mortality by 30 percent and neonatal mortality by 20 percent in the targeted areas by 2028, while providing free, timely and comprehensive care to about 2.9 million pregnant women.
The Minister disclosed that more than 250 health facilities are currently implementing MAMII in states including Bauchi, Borno, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina and Ogun, with over 32,000 women and 1,700 newborns already benefiting from emergency obstetric and neonatal care. He added that NEMSAS has transported nearly 79,000 beneficiaries, about 60 percent of whom are pregnant women, to appropriate care, while fourth-visit antenatal attendance in MAMII LGAs increased by 20 percent in one quarter.
Dr. Salako said the new incentives are designed to reinforce behaviours that save lives, particularly early antenatal registration, facility-based delivery and postnatal follow-up, reaffirming the administration’s commitment to ensuring that no woman loses her life while giving birth.
Both the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate and the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu, health sector agencies, State Governments and development partners, including UNICEF, UNFPA USAID, and WHO, for their support, reaffirming the Federal Government’s commitment to accelerating interventions that will reduce preventable maternal and newborn deaths.
The initiative is expected to contribute to increased demand for and utilisation of essential maternal and newborn healthcare services, while supporting healthcare facilities and frontline health workers to deliver quality and timely care.
Signed:
Ado Bako
Assistant Director, Information and Public Relations
