Maternal Health in Nigeria: Progress is Possible
featuring
Governor Olusegun Mimiko
Ondo State, Nigeria
with
Dinesh Nair
World Bank
Murtala Mai (invited)
Pathfinder International
Jennifer G. Cooke
CSIS Africa Program
Wednesday, January 16, 2013, 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
B1 Conference Center,
CSIS 1800 K St. NW,
Washington, DC 20006
Nigeria today remains one of the 10 most dangerous countries in the world for a woman to give birth, accounting for an estimated 14 percent of maternal deaths worldwide each year. But despite these bleak national statistics, there are signs of growing opportunity. In recent years, the federal government has devoted greater policy attention and resources to maternal health than previously, and a handful of state governments are beginning to tackle the challenge in a strategic and comprehensive way.
In Ondo State, the Abiye (Safe Motherhood) program is winning praise as one such promising model, creating incentives for expectant mothers to seek care and for health providers to deliver quality services. Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko, a medical doctor and architect of the Abiye model, will describe the program’s achievements to date and challenges ahead. Dinesh Nair, World Bank senior health specialist for Nigeria, will describe the Bank’s “results-based financing” pilot program in Ondo. Murtala Mai, former country director for Nigeria, for Pathfinder International, will describe the broader maternal health trends in the country.
Please RSVP to Patrick Pratt at africa@csis.org
