In Nigeria, maternal mortality rate reaches up to 3,200 women with number of mothers per 100,000 births dying within 42 days after childbirth. Having babies in developing nations may be life-threatening. Literally, every minute, a woman dies from avoidable complications caused by pregnancy – this adds up to approximately half a million fatalities per year.
As reliable members of the society, women and mothers play a vital role for the sustainable development of family life in African nations, although women still often lack fundamental human rights such as the right to health and freedom from bodily harm. Therefore, the United Nations (UN) has defined “Maternal Health Care” as one of their top eight priorities for this millennium.
Japan has been helping to support health programmes in Nigeria through loans and aids. Approximately, N137.5bn has been given to Nigeria in terms of loan and approximately N465.4bn in terms of grants, including the debt relief signed in 2006; 243.9bn Japanese Yen. Other assistance from Japan also include technical aid in terms of cooperation projects, training programmes in Japan and so on.
L-R: Dare Ajayi, CEO, Biire Child & Maternal Health Foundation; Ryuichi Shoji, Japanese Ambassador to Nigeria and Yewande Adeshina, Special Adviser on Public Health to Lagos State Governor at the Commissioning of Medical Equipment (behind them) donated by the Embassy of Japan to Lagos State Primary Health Care Centres
To this end and in line with reducing the shocking rate of maternal and child mortality in Lagos State, the Government of Japan is equipping public health care centres to further adequately combat the ill-trend.
On Thursday, November 6, 2014, the Japanese Envoy led by Ryuichi Shoji, the ambassador of Japan to Nigeria, commissioned the donated medical equipment worth over $121,000 (N21,054,000) under the Japanese Grant Assistance for Grassroot Human Security Projects (GGP) to 10 selected PHC centres in 10 different local government council areas in Lagos State including Kosofe, Amuwo Odofin, Iba, Alimosho, Ikoyi, Obalende-Simpson, Orile Agege, Epe, Ibeju and Ikate.
The life-saving items donated ranged from ECG machines, nebulizer, oxygen units, delivery beds, examination couches, wheel chairs, and baby weighing scales among several others. And according to the Japanese envoy, these donations are just for the pilot-phase of the exercise pre-planned to equip the PHCs in critical conditions nationwide.
While delivering his speech, Shoji said: “I like to express my sincere appreciation to our implementing partners, Biire Child and Maternal Health Foundation, and for the cooperation of the Lagos State Ministry of Health, the Primary Healthcare Board and the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA). My special thanks go to Yewande Adeshina for her sincere support towards the completion of this project.”
He also stated that under the GGP, 141 projects with a total amount of US$9,417,887 have been implemented throughout Nigeria by local governments and NGOs since 1998 so as to meet diverse needs and bring direct impact on the well-being of grassroot communities.
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According to Dare Ajayi, the executive director of the implementing partner, Biire Child & Maternal Health Foundation, “The Japanese government has rendered project assistance to Nigeria worth over $5bn from 1994 hitherto. These assistances are widely spread across various sectors such as health, education, water, sanitation and rural electrification, poverty reduction, using NGOs and CSOs in implementing them.
“I appeal to the beneficiaries of the initiative to use and maintain these items properly and I challenge the local government chairmen to meet the health needs of those they are elected to serve. I implore the private sector to do more in terms of their corporate social responsibility particularly in the areas of health care delivery as this has the biggest impact in the lives of ordinary people” he said.
The Government of Japan has disbursed grants of over N50m ($317,919) under its Grants Assistance for Grassroots Projects (GGP) to three indigenous non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to implement projects aimed at improving primary education and healthcare in the FCT and Nasarawa State. The Christian Broadcasting Network is expected to use its grant to also construct two rural clinics, provide water facilities and medical equipment in Karu LGA, in Nasarawa State.
The benefiting NGOs are Centre for Development and Partnership (CDP) with a grant of $93,257; Nigeria Women Empowerment Network with a grant of $122,306; and Christian Broadcasting Network Africa with a grant of $102,356.
At the grant signing ceremony in Abuja recently, the Japanese ambassador said the beneficiaries were carefully selected after a thorough screening process chosen to ensure that they are really NGOs with integrity, which would use the money for projects for which they are meant.
Some NGOs are already on the blacklist of the embassy, he said, adding that the officials of the embassy would be involved in inspection and monitoring of the projects.
“Since independence, Japanese assistance to Nigeria has amounted to about N770bn and under the GGP, 125 projects with a total amount of $7,608,130 have been implemented throughout Nigeria since 1998,” he said.
Kemi Ajumobi
