A coalition of philanthropies, led by the Gates Foundation, has unveiled a $500 million fund aimed at improving maternal and newborn health in sub-Saharan Africa.
- A $500 million fund has been unveiled to improve maternal and newborn health in sub-Saharan Africa.
- The fund aims to save the lives of 300,000 mothers and newborns by 2030 and expand access to quality care for 34 million more across the region.
- The initiative will focus on 10 countries in the region, targeting low-cost interventions and personnel in high-burden hospitals.
A coalition of philanthropies, led by the Gates Foundation, has unveiled a $500 million fund aimed at improving maternal and newborn health in sub-Saharan Africa, offering a rare beacon of hope in an increasingly constrained global health funding landscape.
Unveiled on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi, the fund seeks to save the lives of 300,000 mothers and newborns by 2030 and expand access to quality care for 34 million more across the region.
One of its key backers is the Mohamed Bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity, formerly the UAE’s main philanthropic arm, according to Reuters.
DON’T MISS THIS: Abuja and Lagos show progress while Nairobi drops in 2025 smart cities ranking
The project has been in development for over a year, but its importance has grown as countries, including the U.S., scale back their international aid efforts, according to Alice Kang’ethe, the fund’s chief executive.
The partners behind the Beginnings Fund have also committed $100 million in direct investments in maternal and child health, in addition to the fund itself.
Maternal deaths in Africa
The initiative will focus on Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Lesotho, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe, targeting low-cost interventions and personnel in high-burden hospitals.
According to the World Health Organization, maternal mortality in sub-Saharan Africa has declined by 40%, from 727 to 442 deaths per 100,000 live births between 2000 and 2023.
Yet the region still accounts for 70% of global maternal deaths. Each year, an estimated 178,000 mothers and 1 million newborns die in the region, many from preventable causes. WHO has warned that cuts to aid could further exacerbate this situation.
DON’T MISS THIS: Landlocked Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger turn to Morocco for trade lifeline
The fund’s work will address the leading causes of maternal and newborn mortality, including infection, severe bleeding for mothers, and respiratory distress for infants.
Kang’ethe noted that the Beginnings Fund, like other philanthropic organizations, has received calls to help fill the gaps created by global aid cuts. However, she emphasized that the fund is committed to its long-term goal of transforming maternal and newborn survival rates.
In addition to the Gates Foundation, the Beginnings Fund is supported by the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, Delta Philanthropies, and the ELMA Foundation, and will be led from Nairobi, Kenya.
