The Federal Government has begun a coordinated push to overhaul women’s health services across Nigeria, bringing key ministries, advocacy groups and development partners under a single strategic framework.

The initiative is being driven by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in partnership with the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Women’s Health, OSSAP-WH. At a strategy meeting in Abuja, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Women’s Health, Dr Adanna Steinacker, outlined plans to tackle long-standing gaps in access, information and quality of care for women and girls.

Steinacker said OSSAP-WH is adopting a nationwide, system-wide approach that treats women’s health as central to Nigeria’s development agenda, not as a peripheral social issue. The office operates under the RenewHER mandate, an acronym for Health, Equity and Reform, designed to align policies and programmes affecting women’s health across federal institutions.

RenewHER is structured around three pillars. The first is a digital media and advocacy hub aimed at closing the country’s wide knowledge gap on women’s and girls’ health. Steinacker noted that many women remain unaware of available services or how to navigate the health system, leading to preventable illness and deaths. The hub will use digital platforms to deliver accurate, evidence-based information and improve health literacy nationwide.

The second pillar focuses on geopolitically anchored campaigns, developed with the Ministry of Health, to respond to region-specific challenges. These campaigns are expected to address issues such as maternal mortality, reproductive health, gender-based violence, cancers affecting women and access to essential services in underserved communities.

The third pillar centres on building coalitions, convening symposia and hosting national summits to create a broad network of stakeholders committed to advancing women’s health. Civil society organisations, professional associations, traditional and religious leaders, and development partners are expected to play key roles in shaping and implementing interventions.

Steinacker stressed that the Health Ministry is determined to break down institutional silos that have historically fragmented women’s health programmes. By coordinating efforts across ministries and agencies, she said, the government aims to deliver more coherent, efficient and impactful services.

Mandate Secretary, Health Services and Environment Secretariat, Dr Adedolapo Fasawe, pledged support for the renewed drive, saying her office would back policies and programmes that improve the health and wellbeing of Nigerian women at all levels of care.