FCTA ACTIVATES MAMII, INAUGURATES 21-MEMBER TASK TEAM TO TACKLE MATERNAL, NEONATAL DEATHS
By: Bola Ajao and Ibrahim Abubakar As-Sadeeq
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has activated the Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative (MAMII) in the territory, inaugurating a 21-member task team and unveiling a roadmap aimed at reducing preventable deaths among mothers and newborns.
The activation followed a five-day FCT MAMII Activation and Co-Creation Workshop, which commenced on September 7, 2026, and brought together more than 100 stakeholders, including health officials, traditional and religious leaders, development partners, community representatives and pregnant women.
The initiative was formally activated on Friday, September 11, at the Family Health Clinic, Garki Area 2, Abuja, ahead of its official national flag-off by the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, at the State House Banquet Hall, Aso Villa, Abuja, on September 14.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, the National MAMII Coordinator, Dr. Dayo Adeyanju, said the initiative was designed to address the major factors responsible for maternal and neonatal deaths by providing interventions throughout the continuum of pregnancy, labour, transportation and delivery.
Adeyanju said community engagement and data review conducted during the workshop identified delays in seeking care, socio-cultural barriers, transportation difficulties, financial constraints, referral challenges and gaps in emergency obstetric care as major drivers of maternal mortality in the FCT.
He said the FCT is the 34th state-level jurisdiction to implement MAMII, following its rollout across 33 states over the past 18 months.
According to him, the initiative has recorded a reported 17 per cent reduction in maternal deaths in areas where its interventions have been implemented in less than two years.
The MAMII intervention includes measures such as free health insurance enrolment for pregnant women, emergency transportation support, multivitamin supplements, birthing kits and funding for childbirth, including Caesarean sections where necessary and under applicable arrangements.
Adeyanju stressed the importance of antenatal care and skilled birth attendance, urging health workers to encourage pregnant women to seek timely and quality healthcare.
He also called on husbands to support their wives in attending antenatal clinics and seeking prompt medical attention whenever complications arise.
Inaugurating the FCT MAMII Task Team, the Mandate Secretary of the Health Services and Environment Secretariat (HSES), Dr. Dolapo Fasawe, said the team would serve as the coordinating mechanism for implementing the initiative across the territory.
The 21-member team comprises representatives of HSES, the FCT Primary Health Care Board (FCT-PHCB), Area Councils, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), development partners, civil society organisations, religious bodies, traditional institutions and other relevant stakeholders.
Fasawe said the task team’s mandate would include coordinating implementation across BHCPF-supported facilities, monitoring progress, strengthening stakeholder collaboration, building capacity, managing resources, leading community engagement and advocacy, and ensuring accountability for commitments made by government and partners.
She emphasised that membership of the task team was a continuing responsibility rather than an honorary appointment.
“As long as women are giving birth in the FCT, as long as we’re here, your role will continue,” she said.
The workshop also produced the FCT MAMII Implementation Suite, a roadmap tailored to the territory’s maternal and newborn health needs.
The roadmap focuses on five key areas: MAMII targets and dashboard, service delivery, community engagement, data and accountability, and resource mobilisation.
Under the plan, the FCTA will work to strengthen primary healthcare centres, improve availability of essential commodities, enhance referral systems and emergency obstetric and newborn care, expand access to healthcare for pregnant women and improve the use of health data for decision-making.
The implementation plan also assigns specific roles to traditional rulers, religious leaders, Ward Development Committees and other community structures in promoting antenatal care, skilled birth attendance and timely referral.
Fasawe said the FCT strategy aligns with the national MAMII framework and the Sector Wide Approach (SWAp), while addressing territory-specific challenges, including delays in seeking care, transportation barriers, financing constraints, gaps in the quality of care, weak referral systems, inadequate use of data and limited community ownership.
The Chairman of the FCT Council of Chiefs, the Ona of Abaji, represented at the event by Alhaji Salihu Sule Kambaba, pledged the support of traditional rulers across the six Area Councils to the initiative.
He called on husbands and families to ensure that pregnant women receive the support and permission needed to seek medical care promptly during pregnancy and childbirth.
The FCTA reaffirmed its commitment to working with government agencies, communities, development partners and other stakeholders to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes and eliminate preventable deaths across the Federal Capital Territory.
