Presidency, Ministry Prioritise Women’s Health. 0

Presidency ministry prioritise women’s health

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Nigeria’s presidency and federal health authorities have stepped up coordinated efforts to elevate women’s health on the national agenda, signalling a broader commitment to improving health outcomes for women across the country.

The partnership was reaffirmed during a high-level meeting convened by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in collaboration with the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Women’s Health (OSSAP-WH) in Abuja on Tuesday. The gathering brought together women’s groups, civil society organisations, healthcare professionals and nongovernmental actors to shape a shared strategy on addressing key health challenges affecting women.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Women’s Health, Dr. Adanna Steinacker, who represented the presidency, said one of the key outcomes of the meeting was to establish coordinated interventions aimed at ensuring that Nigerian women’s health is prioritised in national development plans. According to her, the renewed focus on women’s health represents a shift from fragmented efforts to a unified, national approach.

At the centre of the drive is the Presidential Women’s Health Transformation Initiative, known as RenewHER, which was launched by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on September 11, 2025. RenewHER stands for Health, Equity and Reform, and its goal is to embed women’s health priorities into policy, planning and implementation across federal and state governments.

Speaking at the meeting, Dr. Steinacker said the initiative will be driven around three central pillars. The first focuses on digital media outreach and advocacy to improve health literacy among women and girls, addressing longstanding gaps in awareness about health services and how to access them.

“There is a wide knowledge gap in the country when it comes to the health of women and girls,” Steinacker said. “We are prioritising digital media as a means to disseminate accurate, evidence-based information that increases the health literacy of our population.”

The second pillar of RenewHER centres on geopolitically tailored campaigns developed in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. These campaigns will focus on identifying and addressing priority health issues in different regions of the country, including maternal and child health, reproductive health and disease prevention.

The third pillar involves building robust coalitions, symposia and summits that bring together government, civil society, development partners and professional bodies to strengthen networks that advocate for women’s health. This effort is intended to institutionalise partnerships and promote sustainable action on issues affecting women’s well-being.

In addition to the federal ministry and the presidency, stakeholders at the meeting included representatives from women’s groups, non-governmental organisations and healthcare professionals. Their participation underscored the importance of broad engagement in shaping and implementing women’s health policies.

Officials highlighted Nigeria’s persistent challenges in women’s health, particularly high maternal mortality and avoidable deaths from complications during pregnancy and childbirth — issues the RenewHER initiative seeks to tackle head-on.

Public health advocates have welcomed the move, noting that a focused partnership between the presidency and the health ministry could inject greater political commitment, resources and coordination into women’s health initiatives. Analysts say that sustained federal leadership is critical in a health system where institutional fragmentation has historically hindered comprehensive service delivery.

The renewed partnership also comes at a time when women’s health is gaining renewed attention globally, following international commitments to reduce maternal mortality and improve reproductive and sexual health. Nigeria’s approach, through RenewHER, aims to align with global best practices while responding to local realities.

Another dimension of the partnership is the planned establishment of digital platforms and advocacy hubs that will harness technology to deliver accurate health information, particularly to women in underserved and rural areas. Officials said digital outreach will be a key tool in bridging information gaps and encouraging health-seeking behaviours.

Steinacker emphasised that the partnership is not just about launching programmes, but about rethinking how women’s health is framed within national priorities. “This initiative is designed to coordinate policies relating to women’s health in collaboration with the Ministries of Health and Women’s Affairs,” she said, adding that the effort will strengthen policy coherence and implementation.

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The renewed focus on women’s health also extends to mental health, which has been described as under-discussed in national health debates. According to stakeholders, awareness and targeted interventions for mental health among women and girls are emerging priorities within the broader health framework.

Members of the Medical Women Association of Nigeria also pledged support for deeper collaboration with the presidency and federal ministries. They noted that clinicians and female health professionals, who work closely with women and girls across the country, can provide evidence-based insights critical to improving service delivery and health outcomes.

The meeting represents one of the first major steps in translating RenewHER from policy into practice, with stakeholders agreeing to further engagements that will involve technical working groups, regional consultations and implementation roadmaps.

As the partnership between the presidency and the health ministry gains momentum, expectations are rising that women’s health will receive sustained attention across sectors, with an emphasis on measurable outcomes and community-level impact.