By Chigozie Chukwuleta
HACEY has launched the 2026 field programme for Project Agbebi in Anambra and five other states, targeting Nigeria’s high maternal mortality burden with training, kits, and community support.
The intervention will run from June 15 to July 24, 2026 across Kaduna, Ogun, Anambra, Cross River, Taraba, and Kwara. It is the most geographically expansive deployment in the project’s history, covering six geopolitical zones: north-west, south-west, south-east, south-south, north-east, and north-central.
Under the programme, HACEY will train 100 healthcare workers, distribute safe birthing kits to 2,000 pregnant women, and establish 12 community support groups. Each state visit will follow a five-day model: health workers receive hands-on training on Day 2, while women attend maternal health and financial literacy sessions on Days 3 and 4 before receiving birthing kits and joining community support groups.
Nigeria accounts for roughly one-quarter of all maternal deaths globally. In some regions the maternal mortality ratio is as high as 1,047 deaths per 100,000 live births, giving a Nigerian woman a 1 in 19 lifetime risk of dying during pregnancy or childbirth.
Project Agbebi is designed to treat safe motherhood as a system, combining health worker training, maternal education, birthing kit distribution, and community structures.
“Project Agbebi is proof that maternal deaths are preventable. When we invest in health workers, equip mothers, and build community support, lives are saved,” said HACEY Executive Director Rhoda Robinson.
The initiative is delivered in partnership with Primary Health Centres, state health authorities, and community leaders in all six states. HACEY said it will publish a full impact report after completion covering reach, health worker outcomes, and community support group data.
