My office was pleased to take part in the Africa Social Impact Summit Global Action Forum at #UNGA81, hosted by @SterlingOneFoundation with @UNFPA and RALLY Africa as Strategic Co-Hosts, alongside @UN_Nigeria, the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning @PlanninginNigeria, and @GlobalCompactNigeria.

Convened under the theme of Financing for Development: Building Resilience and Transforming Emerging Economies, the Forum carried the conversation from Lagos to New York around a question that will shape the coming decade, which is how Africa might unlock and deploy new pools of capital at the scale that resilient economies and sustainable development genuinely require. Having served as a Member of the United Nations Global Compact since 2018, we at the @WellbeingAfrica Foundation have long worked toward the answer.

The delegation was glad to reconnect with Ms Mariarosa Cutillo Blake, Chief of the Private Sector and Civil Society Branch at UNFPA, whose work in drawing private capital toward the health and rights of women and girls speaks directly to the purpose of this convening.

That maternal health now sits among the investment priorities named in New York is a welcome recognition of what those of us in this field have long understood, which is that the health of a mother is not a cost to be carried but a foundation upon which the prosperity of a nation is built, and that what is invested in her returns to the household she leads, to the workforce she sustains, and to every generation that follows her. My hope is that the commitments made in that room travel home with those who made them, into the budgets, the institutions and the communities where they will be measured.

#UNGA81
#FinancingForDevelopment
#ASIS2026
#WellbeingForAll ...

As my Global Office and the @WellbeingAfrica Foundation delegation continued its engagements through #UNGA81, my office joined the Business Council for International Understanding and the Global Self-Care Federation for their high-level roundtable, Beyond the Next Pandemic and Towards Universal Health Coverage, on self-care, community resilience and the future of health sustainability.

Opened by Mr Greg Perry, Director General of GSCF, the discussion heard a keynote from Dr Mohamed Hassany, Assistant Minister of Health and Population of Egypt, and perspectives from Dr Samuel Kaba Akoriyea of the Ghana Health Service @_GHSOfficial and Dr Mercy Mwangangi and Mr Anthony Lenayara of Kenya`s Social Health Authority and Digital Health Agency, alongside partners including @ThisIsReckitt, @UNICEF, @UNFoundation, @ColgatePalmoliveCo and @PATHGlobalHealth.

GSCF`s newly launched report, The Global Social and Economic Value of Self-Care 2.0, the first to measure the preventive value of self-care, finds that self-care now saves health systems some $144 billion a year, up from $119 billion four years ago, while adding 24 million high-quality years of life, with benefits that could rise by up to 50% by 2040 under supportive policies.

Sub-Saharan Africa faces half of the world`s projected shortfall of ten million health workers by 2030, #SelfCare extends the reach of the health system into every home, as individuals, families and communities take an active part in promoting health, preventing disease and managing illness. Through our frontline programming and the health literacy our midwives, nurses, and community health workers build across Nigeria, WBFA equips women, adolescents and families with the knowledge and confidence to practise safe and informed self-care, recognise danger signs early and seek skilled care in good time.

I encourage governments and partners to integrate responsible self-care into national health strategies and primary health care, strengthening health literacy and access to quality-assured products on the road to universal health coverage. My thanks to BCIU, GSCF and Sidley Austin for such a timely convening.

#UNGA81
#UHC
#WellbeingForAll ...

As my Global Office and @WellbeingAfrica Foundation delegation continued its #UNGA81 engagements, it was a privilege for my office to attend Health Resilience in the 21st Century, Delivering Outcomes Amid Shocks and Stressors, convened by The @RockefellerFdn and @SeedGlobalHealth, on whose Board of Trustees I am honoured to serve, and livestreamed to audiences around the world.

Nigeria’s voice opened the programme, as the Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr @Taiwoyedele, delivered an opening address, and it was especially meaningful to hear him speak to the central role of finance ministries in building health systems that endure.

A second panel on resilience from the ground up, moderated by Manisha Bhinge of the Rockefeller Foundation, heard from Dr Monika Moir of Stellenbosch University, Dr Agostinho Sousa of the UK Health Security Agency, Dr Mebratu Massebo of Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health and Joy Phumaphi of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance, followed by a conversation between @DrVBKerry, Co-Founder and CEO of Seed and WHO Director-General’s Special Envoy for Health Resilience, and Hon. Budi Gunadi Sadikin, Minister of Health of Indonesia, and closing remarks from Dr Naveen Rao.

Seed’s partnerships with governments and universities have trained more than 47,000 doctors, nurses and midwives across Africa, and the Wellbeing Foundation Africa holds the same conviction in Nigeria, where our midwives, nurses, doctors and health workers help keep care for women, children and adolescents within reach across the life course when systems come under strain.

I invite governments, philanthropies and partners to treat the health workforce as core infrastructure and to finance resilience through integrated, country-led primary health care, placing mothers and newborns at the centre of every preparedness plan. My thanks to the Rockefeller Foundation, Dr Kerry and Seed, and to the Honourable Minister for bringing Nigeria’s perspective to so important a conversation.

#UNGA81
#HealthResilience
#HealthWorkforce
#WellbeingForAll ...

Warm congratulations to H.E. Dr. (Mrs.) Florence Ajimobi @FlorenceAjimobi on her posting by His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, as Nigeria’s Ambassador to the Republic of Austria and Permanent Representative to the International Organisations in Vienna.

As First Lady of Oyo State, you stood firmly for women and vulnerable households, and through the ABC Foundation you continue to bring hope to so many affected by cancer. It is a joy to see your service recognised in this way, and Nigeria is truly well represented.

Wishing you every success and blessing in Vienna. 🇳🇬🇦🇹 ...

It is a privilege to serve on the Advisory Board of @EveryPregnancy alongside Amira Sajwani, Emmanuel Akpakwu and Zaheerah Bham-Ismail, under the distinguished leadership of Isra Chaker @IsraSpeaks.

Every Pregnancy has demonstrated what becomes possible when communities of faith place mothers at the centre of their philanthropy. As the world`s first Zakat-approved Muslim collaborative dedicated to maternal and newborn health, its coalition now unites more than 80 organisations across 25 countries. During Ramadan this year, catalysed by a Boost Fund made possible through the generosity of the @GatesFoundation and the DAMAC Foundation, it mobilised over $91 million in a single month from more than 192,000 donors, bringing the total raised for maternal and newborn health since 2024 to nearly $130 million. This is catalytic, faith-inspired philanthropy in action, and a model for how to finance maternal health at scale.

Behind every figure stands a mother. Too many women continue to lose their lives to causes we know how to prevent, and for those living through conflict, displacement and crisis, the dangers are graver still. Across more than two decades of service through my Wellbeing Foundation Africa @WellbeingAfrica, we have learned that when we invest in midwives, nurses and health workers, in respectful care and in the voices of women themselves, lives are saved.

I look forward to advancing this work with my fellow Board members, the Every Pregnancy team and our partners, to strengthen collaboration, expand what works and realise a world where every pregnancy is safe and every baby has a healthy start. 🤍

#EveryPregnancy
#WellbeingForAll
#FrontlineFriday ...

Over the weekend, my dear sister Dr Amina Aminu Dorayi celebrated her 50th birthday, and I join her family, friends and colleagues across the global health community in wishing her a truly blessed birthday.

As Nigeria Country Director and Regional Portfolio Director for West and Central Africa at @PathfinderInt and co-Chair of Women in Global Health Nigeria @WGHNigeria @WomeninGH, Amina has devoted her career to widening access to quality health care for women, girls and underserved communities, most recently chairing the Technical Advisory Committee of the Gender and Inclusion Summit 2026 in Abuja.

May this new decade bring you abundant good health, happiness and peace, dear Amina @Official_DrAmina. Happy 50th birthday!

#HappyBirthday
#WellbeingForAll ...

On this International Day of Democracy, the @UnitedNations calls on us to ensure that every voice counts, drawing attention this year to deliberative processes that bring together people from every part of society to enrich decision-making, foster trust and build more peaceful, inclusive and resilient societies.

Among the most practical expressions of that vision is the United Nations Democracy Fund #UNDEF, which for more than twenty years has supported over one thousand initiatives in more than 130 countries, directing the large majority of its grants to local civil society organisations. I warmly encourage Nigerian community groups, women-led organisations and youth networks to explore UNDEF’s annual call for proposals, which welcomes projects advancing women’s leadership and youth engagement, and to bring forward the ideas that can strengthen participation in their own communities.

Participation is also nurtured one person at a time, and it has been a privilege to serve as a mentor to the first cohort of the Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre and African Women Leaders Network Nigeria Chapter Young Women’s Leadership Mentorship Programme, @YWLC_NG @AWLNNigeriaOfficial, whose recent sessions have explored safety, wellbeing, resilience and the practice of sustainable leadership. Every young woman who finds the confidence to speak, to lead and to serve enriches the life of her community.

May we recommit, today and every day, to making room for women and young people wherever decisions are made, so that democracy delivers the dignity and inclusion that every society deserves.

@WellbeingAfrica
#InternationalDayOfDemocracy
#DemocracyDay
#YouthEngagement
#WellbeingForAll ...

#Repost @bukolasaraki

Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji`un.

Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, former National Chairman of our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party, lived a distinguished life of service. From his time as Governor of the old Gongola State to the many responsibilities he took on at the national level, he gave a great deal of himself to Nigeria.

Over the years, our paths crossed many times, particularly during our years in the PDP. We did not always see things the same way, as is often the case in politics, but I never lost my respect for his experience, the strength of his convictions and his dedication to our nation.

As we mourn his passing, my thoughts and prayers are with his family, the people of Adamawa State and our entire PDP family.

May Almighty Allah (SWT) forgive his shortcomings, comfort his loved ones and grant him Aljannah Firdaus. Ameen. ...

As Global Honorary Patron of LifeLine International, I join the International Association for Suicide Prevention and the World Health Organization in marking World Suicide Prevention Day, under the theme Changing the Narrative on Suicide, with its call to action to Start the Conversation. In this final year of the triennial campaign, the moment carries particular significance for Nigeria and for LifeLine International’s Decriminalise Suicide Worldwide campaign.

The @WHO estimates that more than 720,000 people die by suicide each year, close to three quarters of them in low- and middle-income countries, with the @WHO_Africa Region recording the highest male suicide rate of any region, at 18.4 per 100,000. Each of these figures represents a family, a community and a life that might have been reached in time. Nigeria has remained among the few countries in which attempted suicide is still an offence under the Criminal Code and the Penal Code, deterring too many from seeking care.

The Federal Executive Council’s approval on 20 August of a proposed amendment to the National Mental Health Act, for transmission to the National Assembly as an executive bill, remains a source of profound hope, which LifeLine International and I have welcomed as a turning point. I salute Professor Taiwo Lateef Sheikh, Africa Continental Lead for LifeLine International, and the Nigeria Suicide Prevention Advocacy Working Group, whose advocacy has brought the nation to this threshold.

At the @WellbeingAfrica Foundation, this conviction is practised at the frontline, where our #MamaCare360 midwives screen for perinatal depression through the Postpartum Mental Health Checklist, and our Adolescent Skills and Drills #PSHE #WASH programming equips young people to identify distress and seek support.

Changing the narrative begins with a single conversation, in a home, a classroom, a clinic or a place of worship, where a person in crisis is met with care rather than judgement. My call today is for quality crisis support to be accessible to every person wherever they live, as LifeLine International envisions by 2050, and for each of us to start the conversation that changes a life.

#WSPD2026 ...

Congratulations to my dear friend and fellow advocate Dr @VBKerry on her appointment by @DrTedros as the World Health Organization @WHO Director-General`s Special Envoy for Health Resilience, building upon her pioneering service since 2023 as the WHO`s first Special Envoy for Climate Change and Health and broadening her mandate to resilient, integrated and sustainably financed health systems capable of responding to day-to-day challenges and emerging threats from climate change and health emergencies.

It is a privilege to serve as a Member of the Board of Trustees of @SeedGlobalHealth, which Vanessa founded and leads, and to have watched at close hand its work with governments and partners across Africa, investing in the doctors, nurses and midwives who save lives, that this appointment so rightly recognises.

I have long believed that primary healthcare builds resilience from the bottom up. At the @WellbeingAfrica Foundation we put this principle into practice through frontline investments in EmONC, AOSS and WASH for infection prevention and control, strengthening the people and systems that deliver safe, quality care every day and sustain it through crisis. It is this same conviction that Dr Kerry will now carry to the highest level of global health, championing sustainable financing for universal health coverage, investment in health workers, and the alignment of partners behind national priorities and country-led health systems.

At this consequential moment for global health, Vanessa`s appointment is both timely and well deserved. I look forward with great confidence to all that her leadership will bring to this vital mandate, and to continuing our shared endeavour with the WHO and partners for more resilient health systems and health for all.

With my warmest wishes, dear Vanessa, as you take this important work forward.

#HealthResilience
#UniversalHealthCoverage
#WellbeingForAll ...

Today marks the 60th anniversary of #InternationalLiteracyDay, observed by @UNESCO under the theme Literacy for People, the Planet and Prosperity. At least 739 million youth and adults still lack basic literacy skills, and four in ten children are not reaching minimum reading proficiency. Nigeria carries 18.3 million out-of-school children, the highest number in the world, with adult literacy at roughly 62 per cent and the deepest deficits among girls and women in the north.

At the @WellbeingAfrica Foundation we read these figures as health data. The Lancet has established that gains in women’s education accounted for a substantial share of the fall in child mortality over four decades, and analysis of Nigeria’s own survey data shows that mothers with secondary education see measurably lower under-five mortality and higher uptake of antenatal and skilled delivery care. A mother who can read a prescription, a growth chart or a danger sign is a mother better able to protect her child. Literacy and wellbeing are one agenda.

We call on governments and partners to keep every girl in school through secondary level, to invest in adult and maternal literacy, and to fund reading as the public health intervention it is. Literacy is a determinant of survival.

#ILD2026 #LiteracyForAll
#DigitalLearningWeek
#WellbeingForAll ...