As we continue to advance Nigeria’s health workforce competencies the Wellbeing Foundation Africa, in partnership with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) and the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN), convened a dissemination meeting in Abuja to mark the conclusion of the costed extension phase of the Global Health Workforce Programme (GHWP) Large Grant 130. Focused on the Advanced Emergency Obstetric, Newborn Care and Surgical Skill Competency-Based Curriculum for resident doctors in obstetrics and gynaecology, the event provided an important opportunity to share the programme’s impact, consolidate lessons, and chart a course for sustaining the scale-up of advanced obstetric and surgical training across Nigeria.
The cost extension, granted following the success of the initial phase, allowed the programme to expand its reach by incorporating training in Gombe and Port Harcourt, thereby ensuring full national coverage across all six geopolitical zones. This expansion reinforced the programme’s core objective: to strengthen the capacity of Nigeria’s health workforce to respond effectively to emergencies in maternal and newborn health.
Throughout the course of the programme, a total of 266 health professionals were trained through the AOSS competency-based curriculum, spanning consultant obstetricians, senior and junior registrars, and medical officers. Notably, a significant proportion of participants were NPMCN faculty examiners, ensuring that the programme not only enhanced frontline clinical practice but also strengthened academic mentorship and assessment standards across postgraduate medical training. The cost extension also facilitated the donation of Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) equipment, equipping national training institutions with advanced simulation tools to improve fidelity in both teaching and clinical assessment.
The dissemination meeting brought together a distinguished audience, including Her Excellency Mrs. Toyin Saraki, representatives from the Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative (MAMII), senior officials from the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, the FCT Administration, and the programme’s in-country grant managers, Ducit Blue Solutions. Their presence underscored the relevance of GHWP LG130 to national health priorities and its alignment with wider reforms designed to strengthen maternal and newborn health outcomes.
Two National Centres of Excellence, established at Federal Medical Centre Jabi in Abuja and Lagos University Teaching Hospital, were formally presented during the programme’s lifecycle. These centres, equipped with Lucy & Mum obstetric simulators and Resusci Baby QCPR units, now serve as hubs for simulation-based training and clinical capacity-building, providing health professionals with access to state-of-the-art learning environments that directly enhance emergency obstetric care competencies.
Reflecting on the achievements of GHWP LG130, WBFA recognises the project’s close alignment with the Federal Ministry of Health’s MAMII initiative, Nigeria’s commitments under the World Economic Forum’s Global Activator Network on Maternal Health, and broader reforms being advanced through the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp). Together, these efforts speak to a shared determination to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality through improved workforce capacity, innovation, and coordinated action.
Funded by the UK Department of Health and Social Care and managed by Global Health Partnerships, with in-country oversight by Ducit Blue Solutions, the Global Health Workforce Programme demonstrates the transformative potential of international collaboration. For WBFA, it also reaffirms our mission to strengthen Nigeria’s health systems by equipping professionals with the skills and tools needed to deliver lifesaving care.
As we reflect on this milestone, the Wellbeing Foundation Africa remains committed to sustaining the gains achieved, supporting national scale-up, and advocating for continued investment in health workforce capacity. By reinforcing clinical training, enhancing academic standards, and fostering partnerships, we move closer to a future where every mother and newborn in Nigeria can access safe, timely, and high-quality care.