Enugu To Surpass MAMII 30% Reduction In maternal, Neo-natal Mortality -Commissioner

The Enugu State Government has assured that it would surpass the 30 per cent reduction in maternal and neo-natal (newborn) mortality target set by the Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Innovation Initiative (MAMII) project.

The Enugu State Commissioner for Health, Prof. George Ugwu, gave the assurance while inaugurating the state’s 30-member MAMII Task Team and distributing MAMII kits to pregnant women at Enugu East Secretariat, Edem, Enugu.

Ugwu noted that although, the MAMII project targets 30 per cent reduction; the state would aggressively pursue the project to achieve a 100 per cent reduction.

According to him, this means zero record of maternal and neo-natal (or newborn) mortality in all 17 council areas in the state.

He said that some council areas, such as Enugu East council area, are already enrolling women of child bearing age into Enugu State Health Insurance Scheme and other programmes to enhance their health even during pregnancy and baby delivery.

Ugwu said the task team inauguration followed the outcome of several weeks of articulation and work especially the one week of co-creation document to be used to reduce maternal and neonatal deaths in the state.

He revealed that under Gov. Peter Mbah had adopted holistic approach towards healthcare delivery through revamping all levels of healthcare from PHC to tertiary level.

The commissioner called on all stakeholders at the community level to inform, insist and assist pregnant women and babies to access these healthcare facilities especially the 260 Type-2 PHC centres and others to reduce maternal and newborn deaths to zero.

Mr Abraham Ahmadu, the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp) National Lead Team to Enugu, explained that MAMII project team for Enugu State would help to coordinate, monitor and drive multi-sectorial actions that would accelerate the reduction of maternal and neonatal mortality in the state.

According to Ahmadu, the programme is currently being implemented in 33 states and 172 local government areas across Nigeria to address systemic health care delivery challenges.

He urged stakeholders to collaborate, pool their resources, and commit to ensuring that no pregnant woman or newborn would die from preventable causes in Enugu State.

He said that the project had set a target of 30 per cent maternal mortality reduction and 60 per cent increase in health facility usage by 2030.

The Chairman, Enugu State Traditional Rulers’ Council, Igwe Samuel Asudu, assured that royal fathers would cascade the message of MAMII project to the members of their communities.

Represented by Igwe Emmanuel Anichebe, the Traditional Ruler of Akokwu Umana Community, Asudu lauded Federal and Enugu State Governments for the MAMII project meant to tackle maternal and neonatal death at the grassroots.

The State Coordinator, World Health Organisation, Mrs Adaeze Ugwu, pledged to partner with the state and also provide technical support for the project to succeed.

In her welcome address, Dr Ifeyinwa Ani-Osheku, Executive Secretary, Enugu State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, stressed that the initiative was geared at ensuring that “no woman in Enugu State dies from pregnancy-related causes”.

She noted that Nigeria had one of the highest burdens of maternal and neonatal deaths world over, pointing out that every 10 pregnant women that die, three die in Nigeria.

“And this is the kind of astronomical figures that we have chosen to reverse. When it comes to under five-year mortality, it is said that eight out of every 1,000 children are unlikely to see their 5th birthday.

“Imagine that these children are the future leaders of tomorrow. That is what we seek to reverse,” she said.

She, however, called for collaboration of all stakeholders to end the menace in the state, assuring the Federal Government that the state would “surely surpass the MAMII target”.

The MAMII project workshop, which began on Oct. 6, 2025 in Enugu, ended Oct. 1, 2025 with the inauguration of state task team to implement the project.

The members of the task team were drawn from health professionals in hospitals and state health agencies as well as health donor agencies and partners in the state.