The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has inaugurated three new projects aimed at strengthening maternal, newborn, and child health, as well as ensuring the safety of medical products in Nigeria.
The initiatives include the Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Nutrition Initiative (MNCH+N) and the NAFDAC Office of Women and Children’s Health (NOWCH).
Also launched is the National Action Plan on Prevention, Detection, and Response to Substandard and Falsified Medical Products.
Speaking at the event, the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Mohammed Ali-Pate, commended NAFDAC for the projects, calling them “critical to saving the lives of women, newborns and children”.
He noted that managing the country’s health system requires collective effort, urging Nigerians to take bold steps to secure health for all.
The Minister highlighted improvements in the health sector under President Bola Tinubu’s administration over the past two years.
“Maternal mortality has reduced by 17 per cent, and deaths have gone down by 10 per cent. These figures are based on collated data,” he said.
He added that more work is needed given the country’s population and health challenges.
He further stated: “The Maternal, Newborn and Child Health and Nutrition project, along with the Office of Women and Children’s Health in NAFDAC, reflects the Director-General’s personal commitment to these issues.
“These initiatives represent our unwavering commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of women, children, and families across Nigeria”.
The Minister also commended NAFDAC for maintaining maturity level 3 in drug regulation, stressing that the agency continues to work tirelessly to make medicines in Nigeria safe.
Earlier, Mrs Regina Akume, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on NAFDAC, said the launch of the projects marks “a significant milestone in Nigerians’ collective efforts to enhance maternal, newborn, and child health and nutrition”.
She added that the initiatives aim to ensure “every pregnancy is safe, every child is healthy, and every family has the opportunity to thrive”.
NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, explained that the projects are interconnected pillars designed to strengthen the country’s health system and protect the most vulnerable, particularly women and children.
“Through the Office of Women and Children’s Health, NAFDAC seeks to champion safe motherhood, promote rational medicine use, encourage breastfeeding, and combat harmful practices such as drug misuse and unsafe cosmetics,” Adeyeye said.
She noted that the office also supports local production of paediatric medicines and menstrual hygiene products in collaboration with ministries, NGOs, and private sector partners.
She further explained that the MNCH+N Initiative addresses malnutrition and maternal and child mortality by regulating life-saving nutrition commodities and enforcing breastfeeding-friendly policies.
“Partnerships with the World Health Organisation (WHO), UNICEF, and GAIN reinforce these efforts for sustainable impact”.
On the National Action Plan on Substandard and Falsified Medical Products, Adeyeye said it provides a coordinated framework to protect Nigerians from unsafe medicines through prevention, detection, and response mechanisms.
“The plan mobilises national and international stakeholders to build a resilient supply chain and promote accountability across the healthcare ecosystem,” she added.
