The Federal Government has distributed 215,000 MAMA kits, 40,000 maternal food-support packs and 40,000 sets of newborn clothing to vulnerable pregnant women and families across the country as part of efforts to reduce preventable maternal and newborn deaths.
The intervention, being implemented under the Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative (MAMII) of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, is aimed at increasing access to essential healthcare services and encouraging greater utilisation of antenatal, delivery and postnatal care.
Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Mohammed Ali Pate, said the initiative formed part of the Federal Government’s broader strategy to expand access to quality healthcare and address Nigeria’s high burden of preventable maternal and neonatal deaths.
The programme is expected to reach about 2.9 million pregnant women and their families by 2028, with priority given to vulnerable women and communities where access to healthcare remains limited.
Speaking at the flag-off of the distribution at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja, the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, called for stronger collaboration among governments at all levels, traditional and religious institutions, development partners, philanthropists and other stakeholders to address the country’s maternal and newborn mortality burden.
She said the scale of the challenge required collective action to ensure that interventions reached women and newborns, particularly those living in poor, underserved and hard-to-reach communities.
“Pregnancy and childbirth should be occasions of hope and joy rather than a threat to the lives of Nigerian women,” she said.
“This occasion represents a further step towards ensuring that every Nigerian child has a healthy start in life and that no woman loses her life while giving birth,” Tinubu added.
According to her, the MAMII programme was designed to tackle preventable maternal and newborn deaths through increased awareness, improved emergency care and more effective referral systems.
She said the initiative was also aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda on Health, which recognises healthcare as a critical component of national development.
“As a mother, I believe pregnancy and childbirth should be moments of hope and joy, with every woman having access to quality care. However, social, economic, cultural, and logistical barriers still exist. This is what makes today’s flag-off particularly significant,” she said.
Senator Tinubu explained that the 215,000 MAMA kits represented the second batch of the intervention, following the distribution of 110,000 kits in 2025.
She said the government had expanded the support package to include 40,000 maternal food-support packs and 40,000 sets of essential newborn clothing to provide additional assistance to vulnerable pregnant women and families.
She added that the intervention would subsequently be expanded to more local government areas where uptake of MAMII services remained low.
The Federal Government said the initiative was already showing encouraging results, with service uptake reportedly increasing by about 20 per cent within one quarter in programme-covered areas.
The development is expected to strengthen efforts to ensure that more pregnant women attend antenatal clinics, deliver under the supervision of skilled health personnel and receive appropriate postnatal care.
The intervention also forms part of wider efforts to address the social and economic barriers that prevent women from accessing timely maternal healthcare, particularly in rural and underserved communities.
The First Lady urged stakeholders to sustain their support for the programme, stressing that government alone could not overcome the challenges responsible for maternal and newborn deaths.
She said stronger partnerships would be necessary to improve healthcare delivery, strengthen referral systems and ensure that women who develop complications during pregnancy or childbirth receive emergency care without delay.
The flag-off was attended by senior government officials, lawmakers, health-sector agencies, development partners, traditional and religious leaders, civil society organisations, healthcare workers and beneficiaries.
Those present included the Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory, Dr Mariya Mahmoud; Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye; Director-General of the National Health Insurance Authority, Dr Kelechi Ohiri; and Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Prof. Muyi Aina.
Representatives of the Sultan of Sokoto, the Christian Association of Nigeria, UNICEF and other development partners also attended the event.
