FG secures $65m pledges to reduce maternal, newborn deaths

The Federal Government has secured more than $65 million in financial and in-kind commitments from seven private sector and philanthropic organizations. According to Punch Nigeria, these pledges were submitted via Letters of Intent under the Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative Private Sector Compact. The initiative aims to align private sector technical expertise, products, and supply chains with government health priorities.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Pate, disclosed the compact during the 2026 Joint Annual Review of the health sector in Abuja. The commitments are intended to address healthcare delivery gaps in 172 local government areas that have been identified as having the highest burden of maternal and newborn deaths.

Ministry figures cited by Punch Nigeria indicate that Nigeria records an estimated 40,000 maternal deaths and approximately 300,000 newborn deaths annually. This equates to more than 100 women and 800 newborns dying every day.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch, Punch Nigeria — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.