Presidency, Civil Society Strategise On Women’s Health Challenges

The Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Women’s Health has reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to strengthen women’s health through deeper collaboration with civil society organisations, professional bodies and grassroots groups.

Speaking during a stakeholders’ engagement in Abuja at the weekend, the senior special assistant to the president on women’s health, Dr. Adanna Steinacker, said the engagement was convened under the directive of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare led by Professor Mohammed Ali Pate, noting that it formed part of efforts to promote coherence, systems-driven approach and institutional alignment in advancing the health of Nigerian women and girls.

She emphasised that President Bola Tinubu’s administration had for the third time in the country’s history established an office dedicated solely to women’s health, demonstrating a renewed political commitment to improve outcomes across all stages of women’s lives.

Shs said the launch of RenewHer, the Presidential Women’s Health Transformation Initiative on September 11, 2025 defined the mandate of her office and anchored its work on three major pillars.

Dr. Steinacker disclosed that across all previous engagements held over the past two weeks, three major thematic concerns consistently emerged, including, maternal health, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and mental health.

She added that women across communities continued to call for improved access to contraception, autonomy in reproductive decisions, menstrual hygiene and stigma-free SRHR services.

On mental health, she noted that women across life stages face unique challenges often overlooked, stressing the need for heightened advocacy and accessible mental health support for women and girls.

Dr. Steinacker said the goal of the meeting was to gather evidence from communities, enhance coordination, and ensure government interventions are better aligned with grassroots realities.

“It’s not about one office; it’s about all of us shaping what will become Nigeria’s women’s health agenda,” she added.

She revealed plans to establish a technical working group and deploy digital platforms, including a real-time reporting dashboard to improve feedback flow from CSOs and enable continuous monitoring of community needs.

Dr. Steinacker said her office would continue consultations with civil society groups, mobilize resources based on priority needs, and ensure underserved populations are placed at the center of national women’s health planning.

“We are working with a blank canvas. And every woman and girl in this country has a role to play in shaping the agenda moving forward,” she said.

She reaffirmed that the RenewHer initiative would continue working closely with partners to advance policies, improve service delivery, and promote public trust in the national women’s health system.

Speaking during the meeting, Chairperson of the Health Sector Reform Coalition, Dr. Mohammed Lecky, commended the Presidency for the engagement and called for stronger accountability structures in the women’s health space.

Lecky highlighted the need to make women’s health a key national priority, especially as the country prepares for elections, while urging policymakers to adopt practical interventions.

He advocated scaling up health insurance enrollment for women and children, describing it as an affordable and effective tool for improving access to essential health services.

Lecky also stressed the need for stronger coordination across government ministries, agencies and programmes to avoid duplication and strengthen collective impact.