This Maternal Monday brings inspiration, as a mother, a woman, a citizen, and an advocate, on why the launch of the Built For Her Foundation is vital, and what it signals for Nigeria’s future at this moment.

Founded by Dr Teniola Saraki MBBS (Imperial), Built For Her was shaped by a clear conviction that women and girls must be visible in data, prioritised in research, supported by responsive systems, represented in leadership, and invested in with intention if progress in women’s health, across the life course, is to be sustained.

Its first flagship initiative, the Built For Her National Medical Degree Scholarships, delivered in partnership with the Nigerian Medical Students’ Association, has awarded medical scholarships to 30 outstanding female medical students across all six geopolitical zones. I congratulate this inaugural cohort, whose achievement strengthens Nigeria’s future health workforce while advancing women’s participation across clinical care, research, and leadership.

Reflections shared by health leaders at the weekend’s launch reinforced a long-established truth. Women’s representation in medicine shapes how health systems function, influencing access, quality, and trust. Persistent underinvestment in women’s health, highlighted in The Women’s Health Gap: A $1 Trillion Opportunity to Improve Lives and Economies and reinforced in Blueprint to Close the Women’s Health Gap: How to Improve Lives and Economies for All by the McKinsey Health Institute, continues to drive poorer outcomes for women and girls across the life course and weaker health system performance overall.

The Wellbeing Foundation Africa, grounded in the belief that advancing women’s health today shapes wellbeing, resilience, and opportunity for generations to come, endorses the vision of the Inaugural Built For Her Foundation Medical Scholarship Program, whose commitment and leadership reflect this shared mission and whose contributions will help strengthen health systems, expand opportunity, and advance wellbeing for women and communities across Nigeria.