The African Health Budget Network (AHBN), in partnership with the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH), Samasha, and The Motion Tracker, convened a national advocacy retreat to advance Nigeria’s Collaborative Advocacy Action Plan (CAAP) and the Maternal and Newborn Health (MNH) Acceleration Plan, known as the Every Woman, Every Newborn, Everywhere (EWENE) initiative. The retreat was designed to strengthen collective understanding of the CAAP framework, while mobilising stakeholders around the implementation of EWENE to accelerate progress towards improved maternal and newborn outcomes across the country.
The Wellbeing Foundation Africa Abuja team joined stakeholders including government representatives, international organisations, development partners, youth groups, academia, professional bodies, and media as we reflected on the importance of aligning multiple perspectives and resources in support of the Ministry’s leadership role in maternal and newborn health.
In his welcome remarks, Dr Aminu Magashi Garba, Coordinator of AHBN, acknowledged the presence and commitment of participants, stressing the retreat’s role in driving alignment and actionable strategies to improve outcomes for women and newborns in Nigeria. This was further echoed by Mrs Cornelius Assimwe, Executive Director of Samasha, who outlined the retreat’s objectives, emphasising the centrality of the MNH Acceleration Plan and the responsibilities of all stakeholders in making it a success.
A key feature of the retreat was the contribution of the H6 representatives, a group of international organisations working in close partnership with the Nigerian government. Their intervention shed light on the policy frameworks, strategies, and initiatives already underway to accelerate improvements in maternal and newborn health, and highlighted the areas where collaboration and investment are most urgently required. This was complemented by wide-ranging remarks from civil society groups, non-governmental organisations, and professional associations, each underlining the need for joint action, resource mobilisation, and accountability to sustain momentum and deliver measurable impact.
Participants also engaged in structured group discussions centred on the World Health Organization’s health system building blocks. These conversations focused on issues such as service delivery, the health workforce, information systems, access to essential medicines, financing, and governance. By reflecting on these areas, participants worked towards identifying advocacy strategies and specific actions that could translate policy into practice while ensuring equity, quality, and evidence-based decision-making in maternal and newborn health.
The retreat reinforced the importance of a collective, multisectoral approach to driving progress in maternal and newborn health. For the Wellbeing Foundation Africa, active participation in this dialogue represents a continuation of its mission to ensure that every woman and every newborn not only survives but thrives. By aligning with national frameworks such as the CAAP and global initiatives like EWENE, WBFA remains committed to contributing to sustainable solutions that strengthen Nigeria’s health system and advance the rights and wellbeing of mothers and children.