AHBN Pledges Increased Advocacy For Nigeria’s Maternal, Newborn, Child Health
By Alice Etuka, Abuja
The Africa Health Budget Network (AHBN) has signed an agreement for continuous advocacy and partnership with the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH), hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO).
This was contained in a statement issued by the organisation on Thursday.
According to the statement, the agreement is to coordinate the implementation of the 2025 Collaborative Advocacy Action Plan (CAAP) in Nigeria that has been developed and agreed to by partners.
With the support from PMNCH, AHBN will coordinate the implementation of the overall CAAP and lead the delivery of agreed activities on coalition building for joint advocacy to accelerate the reduction of maternal, newborn, and child mortality, protect and promote sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) as well as galvanize greater domestic resources for women, children and adolescent’s health (WCAH) issues.
The advocacy goals outlined in the CAAP plan aim to advance key national priorities such as the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (HSRII), the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp), and Nigeria’s MNCH Acceleration Plan under the Every Woman Every Newborn Everywhere (EWENE) agenda.
Through this partnership, AHBN will mobilize multi-sectoral stakeholders, including youth, civil society, media, those with lived experiences, parliamentarians and policymakers, to accelerate action and accountability for WCAH in Nigeria.
AHBN further disclosed that this engagement with partners will strengthen multi-constituency coalition for joint advocacy and accountability actions on WCAH issues.
It would also advance efforts to accelerate progress on the unfinished agenda to reduce maternal, newborn, and child mortality and morbidity (as per the resolution adopted at the 77th World Health Assembly), with a focus on protecting and promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights among others.
Speaking about the development, the Coordinator, Africa Health Budget Network (AHBN), Dr. Aminu Garba said, “we note with appreciation the previous coordinating role of AHBN in the development of the CAAP in Nigeria.
“As we move into implementation, we envision the CAAP serving as a unifying framework that strengthens collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and constituencies including youth, civil society, media, people with lived experiences, parliamentarians and policymakers, accelerating progress on maternal, newborn, and child health, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and adolescent well-being.
“This will help ensure equitable health outcomes, sustainable financing, and stronger accountability mechanisms across the board”.
