ACEPHAP, Health experts inaugurate Regional Think Tank on accelerating implementation of AIM MNCH
ACEPHAP has last week, joined other leading health experts in a call for urgent action to reduce maternal deaths across Africa by scaling up proven evidence-based interventions, which remain under-implemented.
In her remarks during the inauguration, Prof. Hadiza Galadanci, Director of the African Centre of Excellence for Population Health and Policy (ACEPHAP), highlighted that the establishment of the Regional Think Tank represents a significant step toward transforming maternal and newborn health outcomes in Africa. She noted that the initiative would foster collaboration among countries, bridge the gap between research and implementation, and ensure that locally relevant innovations are prioritized in addressing preventable maternal and child deaths.
Also, speaking at the inauguration of the Regional Think Tank on Accelerating Implementation for Maternal, Newborn, Child, Nutrition, and Health (AIM MNCH), which took place in Abuja, Prof. Taiwo Amole, Deputy Director of Research at the African Centre of Excellence for Population Health and Policy (ACEPHAP), emphasized that the gap between research evidence and practice needs to be closed. She added that Africa's problem is not a lack of effective policies or interventions, but poor implementation and fragmented efforts.
According to a statement, the Regional Think Tank shall give high-level guidance to policymakers and stakeholders to drive the adoption of innovations and scalable strategies that will strengthen health systems and improve maternal and child outcomes. Despite the fact that maternal mortality has declined by 40% since 2000, according to the World Health Organization, Africa still accounts for 70% of global maternal deaths. Approximately 178,000 mothers die annually from preventable causes, along with one million newborns.
The Director of Reproductive Health at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Samuel Oyeniyi, reiterated the call for coordinated partnerships, stronger data systems, and community-led innovations to accelerate progress. He lauded the collaborative efforts of the Federal Government, the Gates Foundation, the UNFPA, and other partners for delivering better results while sharing a tragic example of how the lack of essential medical commodities still costs women's lives.
He said the maternal mortality ratio of Nigeria, which was 1,047 per 100,000 live births, has reduced to 993 per 100,000 live births, and added that this progress must be further sustained with more availability of resources and local innovation. The Deputy Director of Family Health at the Gates Foundation, Rodio Diallo, reiterated the commitment of the foundation to seeing the end of preventable maternal and newborn deaths in Africa within the next twenty years.
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