The Federal Government has disclosed that 172 Local Government Areas (LGAs) across 33 states account for approximately 55 per cent of maternal deaths recorded in Nigeria.
The government made the disclosure on Monday in Abuja while flagging off new incentives designed to increase the utilisation of maternal and newborn healthcare services under the Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative (MAMII).
The initiative, which targets the 172 LGAs, represents about 20 per cent of the country’s LGAs and aims to reduce maternal mortality by 30 per cent and neonatal mortality by 20 per cent in the targeted areas by 2028.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, said the initiative was designed to address Nigeria’s unacceptably high maternal and neonatal mortality burden.
Salako said the 2023–24 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey indicated 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 sustained and targeted interventions.
According to him, MAMII, launched by the Federal Government in November 2024, is expected to provide free, timely and comprehensive care to about 2.9 million pregnant women.
Salako disclosed that more than 250 health facilities were currently implementing the initiative 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 programme.
The minister added that the National Emergency Medical Treatment and Ambulance System (NEMSAS) had transported nearly 79,000 beneficiaries to appropriate healthcare facilities, with pregnant women accounting for about 60 per cent of those transported.
He further disclosed that fourth-visit antenatal care attendance in MAMII LGAs increased by 20 per cent in one quarter.
Salako said the new incentives were designed to encourage life-saving behaviours, particularly early antenatal registration, facility-based delivery and postnatal follow-up.
Launching the intervention, the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, said it was another 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 improving maternal and newborn health required deliberate interventions to address the challenges women and families face in accessing essential healthcare services during pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period.
The First Lady also called for stronger collaboration among government institutions, healthcare providers, development partners, communities and other stakeholders to ensure that interventions produced measurable improvements in maternal and newborn survival.
She commended the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Pate, and his team for their commitment to improving the country’s 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. 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 said.
In his remarks, 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 covered the strengthening of primary healthcare facilities, human resources, essential commodities and affordability of services.
Pate disclosed that more than 60,000 women had received free Caesarean sections and other emergency obstetric services through the National Health Insurance Authority, while over 120,000 frontline health workers had been retrained.
He added that thousands of healthcare facilities had been revitalised, while more than 6,000 women affected by obstetric fistula had received corrective treatment and empowerment support.
The Minister said the incentives would encourage pregnant women to access antenatal care, skilled birth attendance and other essential services.
He also stressed the importance of maternal nutrition, including multiple micronutrient supplementation, and linked the intervention to the Community Food Bank Initiative.
Pate called on state governments and commissioners for health to sustain and expand the gains recorded under MAMII, noting that states were closer to communities and had a critical role to play in improving health outcomes.
The Federal Government said the initiative would contribute to increased demand for and utilisation of essential maternal and newborn healthcare services while supporting healthcare facilities and frontline health workers to provide quality and timely care.
