79,000 beneficiaries transported to care as FG targets 2.9m pregnant women
…79,000 beneficiaries transported to care as FG targets 2.9m pregnant women
ABUJA, September 14, 2026—The Federal Government has flagged off a new incentive programme under the Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative (MAMII) to encourage more pregnant women to seek antenatal care, deliver in health facilities, and return for postnatal services.
First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu performed the flag-off at the State House, Abuja, describing the intervention as part of efforts to ensure that women have access to timely and life-saving care during pregnancy and childbirth. She called for stronger cooperation among government agencies, health workers, development partners, and communities to tackle preventable maternal and newborn deaths.
Senator Tinubu also commended the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, and his team for their commitment to the health sector. She said the work being done by the ministry and its agencies had made it easier for her to support initiatives aimed at improving the well-being of Nigerians.
Professor Pate said MAMII was designed to tackle challenges on both sides of healthcare delivery, from the availability of trained health workers, medicines, and functioning primary healthcare facilities to the ability and willingness of women to access services. He disclosed that more than 60,000 women had so far received free Caesarean sections and other emergency obstetric services through the National Health Insurance Authority, while more than 120,000 frontline health workers had undergone retraining.
The minister said thousands of health facilities had also been revitalized, and over 6,000 women living with obstetric fistula had received corrective treatment and empowerment support. He said the new incentives would complement these interventions by encouraging women to register for antenatal care early and use skilled birth services. He also stressed the importance of maternal nutrition, including multiple micronutrient supplementation.
Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako said the scale of Nigeria’s maternal mortality remained a major concern. Citing the 2023–24 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, he said a Nigerian woman faces about a one-in-19 lifetime risk of dying from pregnancy-related causes, while Nigeria accounts for close to 29 percent of maternal deaths globally.
Dr. Salako said MAMII, launched in November 2024, covers 172 LGAs in 33 states. The areas represent about 20 per cent of Nigeria’s LGAs but account for roughly 55 per cent of maternal deaths. The programme is targeting a 30 percent reduction in maternal mortality and a 20 percent reduction in neonatal mortality in the selected areas by 2028, with plans to reach about 2.9 million pregnant women with free and comprehensive care.
More than 250 health facilities are currently implementing the programme in Bauchi, Borno, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, and Ogun states. According to Dr. Salako, over 32,000 women and 1,700 newborns have already benefited from emergency obstetric and neonatal care, while NEMSAS has transported nearly 79,000 beneficiaries to appropriate care, about 60 percent of them pregnant women. Fourth-visit antenatal attendance in MAMII LGAs has also risen by 20 percent in one quarter.
Dr Salako said the incentives would focus on behaviors that can make a direct difference to survival, including early antenatal registration, facility-based delivery, and postnatal follow-up. Both ministers commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, health agencies, state governments, and development partners, including UNICEF, UNFPA, USAID, and WHO, for supporting the Federal Government’s efforts to reduce preventable maternal and newborn deaths.
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