Your Excellencies, distinguished guests, esteemed colleagues, and valued partners in health,

It is an honour to address you on the occasion of the 65th Anniversary of Lagos Island Maternity Hospital, a health institution of enduring national significance, and the very facility at which I was born. As both a national symbol of progress in maternal and newborn health and a site of personal significance, today offers a meaningful opportunity to evaluate sectoral gains, examine systemic challenges, and reaffirm shared commitments to improving outcomes for women and children in Nigeria.

Lagos Island Maternity Hospital, historically and affectionately known to many as the “Baby Factory,” has operated as a central facility within Nigeria’s maternal healthcare infrastructure since its formal commissioning in July 1960. The foundation stone, laid by the Duchess of Gloucester in May 1959, and the subsequent inauguration by Lady Robertson, marked a critical investment in post-independence public health development. Over the past six decades, the hospital has served as a specialist referral centre and clinical training facility, delivering thousands of births annually and producing generations of quality health professionals in obstetrics and gynaecology.

The hospital’s structured adoption of emergency obstetric protocols has yielded measurable outcomes, with maternal mortality declining from 93 documented deaths in 2013 to 38 in 2023, an achievement which highlights the effectiveness of local leadership, clinical protocol enforcement, and alignment with internationally recognised standards, and exemplifies the viability of targeted investment and sustained adherence to quality-of-care frameworks within maternal health systems.

This pursuit of excellence resonates with the mission of the Wellbeing Foundation Africa, which I founded in 2004, inspired by personal experience and a vision for national change. After a traumatic birth experience in 1991 that resulted in the loss of one of my premature twins, I resolved to ensure that no woman should ever have to suffer preventable loss during childbirth. Today, the Wellbeing Foundation Africa works across Nigeria to deliver antenatal and postnatal education, support healthcare worker training, particularly in EmONC and Advanced Obstetric Surgical Skills, improve water, sanitation and hygiene practices, and elevate maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health through evidence-based programmes and strategic advocacy.

Our flagship MamaCare360 programme, operational in seven states across public health facilities, including Lagos Island Maternity Hospital, has delivered structured antenatal and postnatal classes to more than 1,000,000 pregnant and nursing mothers. The curriculum, led by WBFA professional, globally trained midwives and aligned with World Health Organization guidelines, addresses maternal nutrition, infection prevention, respectful care, newborn health, and family planning, among other key areas. The programme has contributed to improved health-seeking behaviour and increased uptake of skilled birth attendance.

To ensure continuity of care beyond facility walls, the Foundation administers digital midwifery support groups via WhatsApp, connecting over 9,000 women, including LIMH mothers, to real-time health guidance. The Wellbeing Foundation Africa has also implemented its specialised NICU Plus programme at Lagos Island Maternity Hospital, an extension of the MamaCare360 initiative designed to support mothers with newborns in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Through structured sessions led by our WBFA  midwives and nurses, NICU Plus provides targeted education on lactation, kangaroo care, and neonatal health, with a focus on improving outcomes for premature and medically vulnerable infants. The programme includes the provision of essential equipment, such as breast pumps, to enable sustained breastfeeding and mother–baby bonding during critical care. This intervention reflects WBFA’s commitment to continuum-of-care models that extend beyond delivery, addressing the complex needs of both mothers and newborns in intensive care settings. The presence of NICU Plus within LIMH further demonstrates the value of public–NGO collaboration in advancing maternal and newborn health outcomes at the tertiary care level.

Complementing the continuum-of-care framework, Lagos Island Maternity Hospital is also a designated site of Wellbeing Foundation Africa’s Project Oscar – Light for Life, supported by our social impact partners Reckitt and targeting the early detection and treatment of neonatal jaundice and hyperbilirubinemia. In alignment with WHO and AAP clinical guidelines, the Foundation has donated advanced phototherapy units and BiliDx transcutaneous bilirubinometers to LIMH, enhancing frontline capacity to diagnose and manage neonatal jaundice with accuracy and immediacy. These technologies enable point-of-care bilirubin assessment and evidence-based phototherapy initiation, reducing the risk of kernicterus and long-term neurological impairment in affected neonates. By equipping facilities with essential diagnostic and therapeutic tools, Project Oscar – Light for Life highlights the importance of neonatal-specific innovations in reducing preventable newborn morbidity and mortality in Nigeria.

In parallel, a technical partnership between the Wellbeing Foundation Africa and GE Healthcare has facilitated the deployment and training of midwives in the use of portable ultrasound devices at Lagos Island Maternity Hospital, equipping frontline providers with critical diagnostic tools for antenatal care. This initiative has strengthened the hospital’s capacity to detect complications such as multiple pregnancies, breech presentations, and placental abnormalities at earlier stages, thereby enabling timely clinical decision-making and more effective birth preparedness. By decentralising access to essential diagnostic technology and integrating it into midwifery-led care, the programme has contributed to improved maternal and fetal outcomes, while reinforcing the role of midwives as essential providers of comprehensive, evidence-based care within public health facilities.

Effective maternal and newborn health systems require concurrent action at both the community and policy levels. In my capacity as WHO Africa Regional Special Advisor and as Inaugural Global Health Ambassador for the WHO Foundation, I continue to advocate for domestic health financing aligned with the Abuja Declaration, including a minimum 15% budget allocation to health. This must translate to the availability of emergency obstetric services, the deployment and retention of skilled personnel, and the elimination of financial barriers to access.

Nigeria continues to report one of the highest global burdens of maternal mortality, with an estimated 75,000 maternal deaths annually. One in eight children does not survive to their fifth birthday. These outcomes reflect structural gaps in financing, human resources, and service delivery. However, documented improvements in facilities such as Lagos Island Maternity Hospital provide replicable models for scale.

Available evidence confirms that investment in health education, human resource capacity, and referral systems improves maternal and neonatal outcomes. Lagos Island Maternity Hospital offers a demonstrable case of progress resulting from institutional commitment, professional development, and community engagement.

The 65th anniversary of this hospital presents a moment to consolidate gains and accelerate reforms. A transition from survival-focused care to resilient, equitable, and rights-based health systems must guide future action. The right to safe childbirth and dignified maternal care must be institutionalised.

I acknowledge the sustained contributions of the hospital’s midwives, nurses, doctors, and administrative personnel. Their collective service has enabled institutional continuity and improved patient outcomes. I also recognise the strategic engagement of stakeholders gathered here today in the broader mission to advance maternal and child health in Nigeria.

Thank you.