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From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Women’s Health (OSSAP-WH) has secured the partnership and support of several women groups in Nigeria on the best way fo improve the health and wellbeing of women and girls.
The partnership was cemented at an interactive session in Abuja, that brought together civil society organisations, women’s groups, health professionals, youth representatives, and government stakeholders for dialogue on priority women’s health issues.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Women’s Health, Dr. Adanna Steinacker, said the interactive stakeholder’s engagement was part of ongoing efforts to advance “RenewHER” project, which is a Presidential Women’s Health Transformation Initiative, aimed at strengthening coordination, stakeholder engagement, and accountability across Nigeria’s women’s health ecosystem.
She explained that the RenewHER project was designed to translate policies into people-centred action, ensuring that every Nigerian woman and girl can survive, thrive and contribute fully to Nigeria’s future.
She further stated that RenewHER was meant to advance its mission through three interconnected pillars, namely, digital media and advocacy hub, geopolitical flagship campaigns, and symposia, summit and coalition building.
“Together, these three pillars mobilise communities, state actors, civil society, and private partners to deliver measurable impact. By integrating AI-enabled diagnostics, geospatial mapping, digital platforms, and innovative financing, RenewHER will serve as a platform to strengthen health systems while expanding sustainable economic opportunities for women,” she further explained.
At the meeting, she highlighted the fact that Nigeria is faced with several women health challenges, notably, high maternal mortality, unmet family planning needs, limited skilled birth attendance, severe health workforce shortages, significant economic losses tied to poor sexual and reproductive health, thus challenging the women groups and stakeholders to rise to the challenges.
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She noted that investing in women’s health is not charity, but a wise economic strategy. “By reducing preventable deaths, expanding access to care, and unlocking women’s participation in the workforce, RenewHER strengthens Nigeria’s human capital and accelerated inclusive growth.
The presidential aide thus solicited the support of the women group to the task of improving the women health through committed and sustained education, interventions and grassroot mobilisation.
She informed the women groups that the desire of the President through RenewHER project is to mobilise strategic partnerships by aligning government, civil society, private sector and global partners around scalable, equity-driven solutions.
“It’s also the desire of the President through RenewHER to elevate women’s health as a national priority by positioning it at the centre of Nigeria’s economic and development agenda; bridge policy and service delivery by translating high-level commitments into actionable programmes with real-time accountability; and also deploy data and AI for transparency by strengthening accountability through dashboard, predictive tools, and measurable outcomes.”
Meanwhile, the representatives of the women groups also highlighted the challenges women face at different levels and locations, and also made some suggestions on the best way to achieve the desired results.
Dr. Nihinlola Mabogunje, the Project Lead for Integrated Child Survival Advocacy (ICSA), in her submission appreciated the individual efforts of the women group, and suggested a more effective and coordinated effort that would yield more result.
Vice President, Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Chizoba Ogbeche, highlighted the importance of engaging the media for wider reach and more sensitization of women on their health rights.
