Hajiya A'ishatu, a resident of Tudun-Wada city in Nigeria's Gombe State, shares her gratitude for the care she received at the Tudun Wada Primary Health Care Facility. "I had all my children in this facility," she says. "My family is grateful for everything the doctors and nurses did for us here." Her experience reflects Nigeria's ongoing efforts to improve maternal and child health services, particularly in underserved areas.
Nigeria faces significant challenges with maternal and child mortality rates among the highest globally. The government has established a Basic Health Care Provision Fund to allocate more resources to primary health care across the nation. With support from the Global Financing Facility for Women, Children and Adolescents (GFF), this initiative began as a pilot program in three states and expanded nationwide, strengthening approximately 900 primary health care facilities with essential infrastructure.
The GFF and World Bank also backed the Nigeria State Health Investment Project to assist communities in Northeastern Nigeria affected by conflict. From 2014 to 2020, safe deliveries increased from 22% to 68%, and annual child immunizations tripled to reach one million.
Adolescent health has become a focus due to Nigeria's large youth population. In Kaduna State, the Accelerating Nutrition Results project, supported by the World Bank and GFF, provides better information on family planning and nutrition services. The project has reached over seven million children under five and nearly five million pregnant women.
Maryam Ishah, a 17-year-old beneficiary of these services, expresses their impact: "I learned a lot from the counselors at the health center... When I grow up, I want to be a doctor."
Despite progress, challenges remain due to underfunding of women's and children's health. Zainab Umar Ciroma from Tudun Wada highlights staff shortages: "We used to have more... motivated health workers due to improved conditions." Economic downturns have made healthcare unaffordable for many women who now choose home births over hospital visits.
In response, Nigeria launched the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative aiming to reduce maternal and child mortality through collaboration with development partners like the World Bank which recently approved $570 million for primary healthcare projects.
As Nigeria moves forward with strategic investments in its health sector, there is hope for improving access to essential services for women, children, and adolescents across the country.