By Oluwafunke Ishola

The Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Women’s Health, Dr Adanna Steinacker, has reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to prioritise and improve the health and well-being of women across the country.

Steinacker said this on Saturday in Lagos during the Banking on Women’s Health Conference organised by Healthtracka, a digital health platform.

She assured Nigerian women that their health would no longer be a footnote but a front-page priority, emphasising her commitment to championing the advocacy through her office.

According to her, conversations that are critical to moving women’s health agenda forward are often silenced, stressing the need to share the stories openly to educate, support, and connect with other women.

“The absence of intentional storytelling has left too many women isolated in their pain.

“They followed us into adulthood, through illnesses, through birth stories, miscarriages, fertility challenges, postpartum complications, and now for some of us, into menopause.

“That discomfort has now become my purpose, to break the silence and to build a new culture, one where women’s health is spoken about loudly, boldly, and backed by action,” she said.

Steinacker highlighted the Women’s Health Media Hub, a digital-first platform designed to bridge the gender health information gap for Nigerian women as an initiative of her office.

“This platform will provide accessible, culturally attuned, evidence-based content so women across Nigeria can make informed decisions about their health,” she said.

She also highlighted the Healthy Women, Healthy Nations National Advocacy Campaign, a mobilisation platform comprising a series of sub-campaigns in all six geopolitical zones.

According to her, the initiative highlights specific health needs, elevates community-driven solutions, and sparks vital policy conversations from the grassroots to national impact, powered by the people.

She stressed the need for collaboration to amplify the work being done on women’s health, stressing that the boldest policy means nothing if it does not meet real people in real-time.

“So, to our investors and donors, the time to fund women’s health innovation is now. Not as charity, but as the smartest investment in our nation’s prosperity.

“When women are healthy, communities thrive, families prosper, and our nation blooms,” she said.

Steinacker commended the Founder of Healthtracka, Ifeoluwa Dare-Johnson, for innovations that promoted women’s health and well-being from at-home HPV kits to low-light AI and AI-powered menstrual health chatbots.

She said the innovative products are reaching thousands of Nigerian girls and changing healthcare delivery care and access.

“Dare-Johnson is proof that tech-powered, user-centred innovation is not just the future, it is already saving lives today. And it’s even more powerful when combined with community engagement,” she said.

Similarly, Rodio Diallo, Deputy-Director, Family Health, Gates Foundation, reaffirmed the foundation’s unwavering commitment to advancing women’s health in Nigeria.

Diallo said every day, preventable complications during pregnancy and childbirth claim the lives of women who are the backbone of their families and communities.

According to her, this reality underscores the imperative to act swiftly, decisively, and collaboratively.

She noted that the foundation is supporting the federal government through strategic lifesaving interventions and partnerships in strengthening primary health centres, family planning, improving maternal and newborn health outcomes, among others.

“By partnering with government agencies, local organisations, and community leaders, we aim to create a unified front against the challenges facing women’s health.

“Together, we can amplify our impact and drive systemic change.

“Our vision is clear. A Nigeria where every woman has access to the health care she needs, where maternal deaths are a rarity, and where women can thrive and contribute fully to their community.

“Achieving this vision demands our collective commitment, innovation, and resilience,” Diallo said.

Also, Prof. Akin Abayomi, Lagos State Commissioner for Health, said women constituted over 50 per cent of the country’s population.

Abayomi, represented by Dr Victoria Egunjobi, Director, Disease Control, at the ministry of health, said Lagos was committed to improving the health and well-being of women in the state.

The Founder of Healthtracka and Convener of the conference, Ifeoluwa Dare-Johnson, said that women’s health has been underdiagnosed and underfunded for long.

Dare-Johnson stressed that women’s health is not a personal issue but a national and economic issue.

She emphasised that the event represented a defining moment in the movement to centre women’s health in investment, innovation and policy conversations across Africa.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event featured the inauguration of the “State of Women’s Health in Nigeria Report.”

It is a first-of-its-kind, data-rich report that provides critical insights into the challenges and opportunities within Nigeria’s healthcare system for women. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Vivian Ihechu

By Oluwafunke Ishola

A Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Bosede Afolabi, has urged all tiers of government to intentionally increase funding for health research, especially for women.

Afolabi, Director of Clinical Trials, Research and Implementation Science (CCTRIS), University of Lagos, made the appeal at the ‘Banking on Women’s Health Conference’ in Lagos.

The event, held on Saturday, was organised by Healthtracka. Afolabi delivered a presentation titled, ‘The Future of Women’s Health Begins with Research.’

She stressed that the lack of funding in women’s health research represents a missed opportunity to strengthen healthcare services and outcomes for women.

Afolabi highlighted major diseases under-researched in women, in spite of their prevalence.

“Lung cancer, the top cancer in women, has under 15 per cent female-focused research.

“Alzheimer’s affects two-thirds of women, yet less than 12 per cent of related research centres on them,” she said.

She also noted that heart disease remains the leading killer of women, with sickle cell also under-researched, particularly in female patients.

Afolabi explained that clinical trials need significant financial backing. However, Nigeria allocates less than 0.2 per cent of its GDP to research.

She compared global investment: Europe allocates 27 per cent, Asia 31 per cent, and the United States, 37 per cent of GDP to research.

“The U.S. spends around $245 billion on medical research alone. That’s roughly equal to or more than Nigeria’s entire GDP,” she stated.

She described it as alarming that 90 per cent of Nigeria’s research funding still comes from international donors, rather than local commitment.

According to Afolabi, research is the foundation of evidence-based care. She urged non-partisan, focused investment in women’s health research at all government levels.

She stated that such investment is vital to improving women’s wellbeing and speeding up national economic growth and development.

Dr Modupe Elebute-Odunsi, Managing Director, Marcelle Ruth Cancer Centre, also called for increased education to tackle stigma surrounding cancer diagnoses.

She made this appeal while speaking on ‘Taking Action: Cancer Screening Can’t Wait’ during the same conference.

Elebute-Odunsi said cancer is not a death sentence. Early screening and advances in treatment now offer patients much better outcomes.

She noted many Nigerians delay hospital visits. Early screening and accessible treatment are essential to boosting survival rates in the country. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Kamal Tayo Oropo