Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has formally activated the Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction Initiative (MAMII) following the completion of its implementation design workshop.
The workshop brought together federal and FCT health authorities, development partners and community representatives to examine health system challenges and develop context-specific strategies for reducing maternal and neonatal deaths in the territory.
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At the closing ceremony, the FCT MAMII Implementation Plan was formally handed over by Dr Dayo Adeyanju, National Lead for MAMII at the SWAp Coordination Office, to Dr Dolapo Fasawe, Mandate Secretary of the Health Services and Environment Secretariat (HSES), who represented the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
Following the handover, Fasawe inaugurated the FCT MAMII Task Force, establishing a dedicated governance structure to coordinate the implementation of the initiative and accelerate efforts to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality across the FCT.
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) and Nigeria Emergency Medical Service and Ambulance System (NEMSAS) pledged their support for the implementation.
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Representatives of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and development partners, including the Clinton Health Access Initiative, Society for Family Health and Jhpiego, also reaffirmed their commitment to the initiative.
The closing event featured a community outreach programme where pregnant women, mothers and their babies were hosted and provided with information on available maternal and newborn health services.
Mama Kits were also distributed to beneficiaries, alongside information on free services available under MAMII, including antenatal care, skilled birth attendance, emergency obstetric and newborn care, Caesarean sections when medically required, treatment of complications and emergency services.
With the activation of MAMII in the FCT, the initiative now covers 34 states across Nigeria.
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According to the organisers, maternal deaths across participating Local Government Areas have declined by 17 per cent over the past two years, highlighting the potential impact of the initiative as implementation expands to Nigeria’s capital.
The activation of MAMII in the FCT is expected to strengthen access to quality maternal and newborn healthcare while improving coordination among government institutions, healthcare providers, communities and development partners.