Distinguished Champions, Partners, and Global Health Advocates,

It is with great honour that I address you today as a Champion of the Global Alliance for Women’s Health, hosted by the World Economic Forum. I am proud to bring forth the lived frontline experience of Nigeria and the Wellbeing Foundation Africa to this critical Champions Dialogue, held during the seventy-eighth World Health Assembly.

We gather at a defining moment, one that calls for a revitalised narrative for women’s health that places the wellbeing of women not on the margins of health policy but at its very centre. For far too long, the health of women has been undervalued and underfunded, despite overwhelming evidence that investing in women’s health, especially in areas such as maternal, newborn, and child health, unlocks far-reaching gains for economies, health systems, and future generations.

As the Founder of the Wellbeing Foundation Africa, I have witnessed firsthand the multiplier effect of healthy women in communities. Nigeria, a country that I am proud to represent, has taken a lead role in transforming maternal health outcomes through the Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction Innovation and Initiative, MAMII. This bold national framework aligns closely with the Global Activators Network, which I have actively contributed to through strategy and implementation.

In March, I had the privilege of delivering a keynote commitment at the Global Activators Network on Maternal Health Workshop in Abuja, which welcomed the World Economic Forum in collaboration with Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. This landmark engagement reinforced Nigeria’s position as the first country to officially join the Network, marking a historic step toward addressing maternal mortality through collective, cross-sector action.

In that same spirit of collective action, the Midwifery Training Focus Group and the Maternal Health Supplies Working Sessions, which my Wellbeing Foundation Africa has actively contributed to, particularly in sharing learnings, are vital platforms for implementation progress. Our discussion on national integration pathways for midwifery training, partnered with WHO, UNFPA, Maternity Foundation and others, demonstrates our shared resolve to equip health workers with modern tools and continuous learning. Equally, our dialogue on quality-assured maternal health supplies spotlights urgent innovations like biomarker diagnostics for preeclampsia and strategies to build a resilient supply chain.

These efforts are not isolated; they are components of a systems-based, data-driven, and equity-focused approach to safeguarding the lives of mothers and newborns. From the WBFA Mamacare360 Antental and Postnatal Education to NICUPlus lactation support, from WASH access to clean facility births, the Wellbeing Foundation Africa integrates community-based trust with policy-level transformation, ensuring that women are not left behind.

As Champions, let us unite to ensure that the new narrative we shape is rooted in evidence, equity, and economic foresight. Women’s health must no longer be seen as a siloed concern but as a foundational pillar of resilient health systems, thriving societies, and sustainable futures. Let us future-proof this vision through smarter science, stronger economies, and safer generations to come.

Because it should never cost a woman her life to give life.

Thank you.