This week, my Wellbeing Foundation Africa was actively engaged at the International Maternal Newborn Health Conference 2026 in Nairobi, Kenya, convened by Align MNH Community, bringing together governments, multilateral institutions, academia, civil society, and implementation partners to advance maternal and newborn survival and the prevention of stillbirths.

Representing The Wellbeing Foundation Africa, Katy Heinemann, Director of Global Partnerships & Grants, participated in high-level dialogues and technical sessions while engaging with our partners, including Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), NEST 360, Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Maternity Foundation, Philips, GE Health Care, Every Pregnancy, and Safaricom PLC, as well as the Gates Foundation, among others, ensuring that partnership-driven solutions remained closely aligned with delivery.

As progress towards reducing maternal and newborn mortality has slowed in several regions, this convening marked a critical moment for disciplined realignment centred on accountability, quality of care, and country leadership. Discussions reinforced that strengthening midwifery education, advancing quality of care, and institutionalising Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response Systems are essential to delivering consistent outcomes for women and newborns, and to informing stronger practice, policy, and prevention.

In parallel, we advanced purposeful bilateral engagement, including strategic discussions with Philips on innovations such as the Smart Sweep AI Ultrasound Project, alongside continued coordination with the Maternity Foundation, with a shared focus on scaling practical, evidence-based interventions. It was also a pleasure to connect with Dr Sanjana Bhardwaj, Deputy Director, Program Advocacy and Communications at the Gates Foundation, to discuss our continued work at the World Economic Forum’s Global Alliance for Women’s Health.

As the conference concludes, the task before us is clear, to carry evidence into implementation, strengthen accountability across the continuum of care, and sustain the partnerships and investments required to ensure that every woman and every newborn survives and thrives.

 

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