News Agency of Nigeria
FCTA unveils health projects to improve maternal health, clean air

FCTA unveils health projects to improve maternal health, clean air

Projects

By Angela Atabo

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has launched the distribution of the ‘Renewed Hope Mother–Baby Kits Initiative’ and the ‘Abuja Breathe Fresh Air Project’, aimed at improving maternal health and household air quality.

FCT Minister of State, Dr Mariya Mahmoud, inaugurated the two projects on Wednesday at Asokoro District Hospital, Abuja, as part of activities marking Nigeria’s 65th Independence Anniversary.

Mahmoud explained that the initiatives, tagged “Wike Renewing Hope: One Baby at a Time, One Home at a Time,” were being implemented in collaboration with IHS Nigeria.

She described them as a holistic approach to healthcare and environmental sustainability, protecting mothers and newborns during childbirth while reducing the dangers of household air pollution.

“No woman should face childbirth without the tools and support she needs, and no child should begin life without adequate care,” she said.

According to her, the free Mother–Baby Kits contain essential medical supplies and consumables to support safe labour, delivery, and neonatal care across the FCT.

Highlighting the environmental aspect, Mahmoud described the Abuja Breathe Fresh Air Project as a “bold, forward-looking” initiative to reduce indoor air pollution in vulnerable households.

”Under the project, polluting fuels like firewood, charcoal, and kerosene will be replaced with smart, efficient Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cookers.

“This will help tackle one of the silent but deadly health risks in the home, respiratory diseases caused by smoke inhalation,” she added.

The minister also noted that the FCTA had strengthened its health workforce through better working conditions and consistent training.

She added that the administration had made significant investments in infrastructure, ranging from hospital renovations to the establishment of a Public Health Emergency Operations Centre.

On the occasion of Nigeria’s Independence Anniversary, Mahmoud called on citizens to recommit to “building an FCT where every home is healthier, every birth is safer, and every breath, cleaner.”

Earlier, Dr Adedolapo Fasawe, Mandate Secretary, FCT Health Services and Environment Secretariat, decried the country’s persistently high maternal and infant mortality rates.

“Too many women still die during childbirth, and too many newborns never see their first birthday,” she said.

Fasawe emphasised that one of the main causes of preventable deaths was the lack of access to clean, safe, and essential delivery supplies.

She said the Renewed Hope Mother–Baby Kit Initiative was developed to address that gap by providing basic but critical items for hygienic and safe deliveries. (NAN)

Edited by Chinyere Nwachukwu/Abiemwense Moru

Regional integration: Keyamo canvasses single African air transport market

Regional integration: Keyamo canvasses single African air transport market

By Gabriel Agbeja

Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo, has called for the urgent implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) to foster regional integration and enhance intra-African connectivity.

Keyamo made the call on Monday, while delivering the keynote address at the 18th Plenary and Meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Banjul Accord Group (BAG) held in Abuja.

According to him, improving air connectivity within Africa will significantly reduce travel time, lower costs, and provide optimal satisfaction for users.

He noted that enhanced connectivity was an asset that boosts the global competitiveness of cities, states, and regions.

“I want to highlight the urgent need to implement SAATM for the benefit of our sub-region and the entire African continent.

“SAATM represents a bold and visionary step toward achieving the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and unlocking the immense potential of air connectivity across our continent,” Keyamo said.

In spite of multiple declarations and political will, he noted that progress on SAATM had been slow, with airspace fragmentation remaining a barrier to regional integration.

He added that SAATM, if fully implemented, would enable smoother movement of passengers and cargo with minimal transit points and competitive prices.

He urged member states to go beyond verbal commitments and take coordinated, deliberate steps to bring the initiative to life.

“Our skies must no longer be defined by closed borders, but by open opportunity,” he said, reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to the ideals of the BAG.

In his welcome address, Director-General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Capt. Chris Najomo, reiterated that the meeting was convened to strengthen collaboration on aviation safety, security, regulatory harmonisation, and sustainable development across the region.

He emphasised Nigeria’s support for BAG’s goals and the “No Country Left Behind” initiative by the International Civil Aviation Organisation”, which seeks to ensure equal participation of all states in global aviation standards.

“Let us keep our eyes on the prize – a safe, secure, and unified aviation sector in West Africa,” Najomo added.

Also speaking, Director-General of the Banjul Accord Group, Mr Fansu Bojang, highlighted that the group currently comprised seven member states: Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.

According to him, the group aims to promote safe and efficient development of civil aviation within and beyond member states.

This, he said, could be achieved through agencies like the Banjul Accord Group Aviation Safety Oversight Organisation (BAGASOO), responsible for aviation safety oversight and compliance.

“There is also the Banjul Accord Group Accident Investigation Agency (BAGAIA), which handles aircraft accident investigations,” he added. (NAN)

Edited by Kevin Okunzuwa

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