By TheDailyNewsHub
The Federal Government has launched a fresh intervention aimed at reducing maternal and newborn deaths, rolling out 215,000 MAMA kits, 40,000 maternal food-support packs and 40,000 newborn clothing sets for vulnerable women and families across Nigeria.
The intervention was unveiled on Monday, September 14, 2026, as part of the government’s broader Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative (MAMII).
First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, who spoke at the event in Abuja, called for stronger collaboration among governments at all levels, traditional and religious institutions, development partners and philanthropists to address Nigeria’s maternal and newborn mortality crisis.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, said the intervention forms part of the Federal Government’s wider health-sector strategy, with a target of reducing maternal mortality by 30 per cent and newborn mortality by 20 per cent by 2028.
According to the minister, about 2.9 million pregnant women and families are expected to benefit from interventions under the programme by 2028.
The government said MAMII focuses on improving access to essential maternal and newborn services, particularly for women living in poor, underserved and hard-to-reach communities. Its interventions include emergency obstetric and newborn care, transportation, referral systems and stronger primary healthcare delivery.
Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako, described Nigeria’s maternal mortality situation as one of the country’s most serious health challenges.
He said the government was intensifying efforts to improve access to antenatal care, skilled birth attendance, emergency medical services and timely referrals, particularly for women whose access to healthcare is constrained by poverty or distance.
The MAMII programme was launched by the Federal Government in November 2024 and is being implemented in 172 local government areas across 33 states, according to Salako. These areas account for about 20 per cent of Nigeria’s local government areas but reportedly represent 55 per cent of maternal deaths.
The minister said more than 250 health facilities were currently implementing the programme, with more than 32,000 women and 1,700 newborns having directly benefited from emergency obstetric and neonatal care.
The latest distribution comes as the Federal Government continues to strengthen facilities providing maternal and newborn services. In May, the government began distributing Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care equipment worth about $6 million to roughly 252 health facilities across 30 states.
That earlier intervention included equipment such as incubators, baby warmers, oxygen concentrators and pharmaceutical-grade refrigerators, depending on the needs identified by individual states.
Pate had stressed at the time that equipment alone would not solve Nigeria’s maternal mortality problem, pointing to the need for adequate staffing, infrastructure, reliable power, referral systems and accountability.
The latest MAMA kits and other support packages are intended to complement these health-system interventions by helping vulnerable pregnant women access care and encouraging antenatal, delivery and postnatal services.
The Federal Government’s 2028 targets come against the backdrop of Nigeria’s continuing maternal and newborn health challenges. At Monday’s event, government officials said Nigeria accounts for nearly 39 per cent of global maternal deaths, underscoring the scale of the challenge facing the country’s health system.
The government has therefore framed the latest intervention as part of a broader effort to ensure that pregnancy and childbirth are safer for Nigerian women, particularly those living in communities where healthcare services remain difficult to access.