Nigeria’s 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), has initiated a coordinated national strategy to tackle systemic challenges facing women’s health across the country. The effort centres on the newly launched ‘RenewHER’ mandate, aimed at prioritising female health within Nigeria’s national development framework.
The announcement was made by Dr. Adanna Steinacker, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Women’s Health, following a meeting in Abuja with women’s group leaders and NGOs. The meeting, convened by the Ministry of Health and facilitated by OSSAP-WH, signals a unified governmental approach to dismantle institutional silos and treat women’s health as a cross-cutting national priority.
RenewHER—an acronym for Health, Equity and Reform—was established by President Bola Tinubu and will operate in close collaboration with the Ministries of Health and Women’s Affairs. Dr. Steinacker outlined a three-pillar strategy. The first pillar is a digital media and advocacy hub, created to address widespread knowledge gaps regarding available health services and to improve health literacy through accurate, evidence-based information dissemination.
The second pillar involves geopolitically anchored campaigns conducted with the Ministry of Health. These campaigns are designed to identify and tackle region-specific priority issues, ensuring interventions are contextually relevant across Nigeria’s diverse zones. The third pillar focuses on organising national coalitions, symposia, and summits to foster a collaborative network among stakeholders and sustain momentum for policy reform.
Dr. Steinacker stressed that a nationwide, coordinated response is essential to overcome fragmented efforts and achieve meaningful progress. Supporting this direction, Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe, Mandate Secretary for the Health Services and Environment Secretariat, pledged her office’s readiness to back initiatives that advance women’s wellbeing.
The RenewHER framework represents a significant step in institutionalising women’s health on Nigeria’s policy agenda. Its success will depend on effective implementation of its digital outreach, regional campaigns, and coalition-building components, with the overarching goal of improving health outcomes for Nigerian women through a cohesive, evidence-driven national strategy.
