By Kebba A.F. Touray
The Gambia has stepped up efforts to reduce preventable maternal deaths, with the government, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and other partners calling for stronger investment, improved healthcare services and greater accountability.
The renewed commitment was highlighted on Wednesday, 14 October 2026, at a national stakeholder consultation organised to identify practical measures to accelerate the reduction of maternal mortality in the country.
The meeting forms part of preparations for the Presidential Initiative on Maternal Mortality Reduction, which is expected to be officially launched later this month by the Vice-President on behalf of President Adama Barrow.
The initiative was conceived following a meeting between President Barrow and the UNFPA Regional Director during her visit to The Gambia in February 2026.
Speaking at the consultation, UNFPA The Gambia Representative Mamadou Dicko said the initiative represented a major national commitment to ending preventable maternal deaths and implementing the Regional Roadmap for the Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality for 2025–2029 in The Gambia.
“Every day, women across our region lose their lives while giving life,” Dicko said.
He noted that a woman dies from pregnancy-related complications approximately every four minutes in West and Central Africa.
“Globally, approximately 800 women die each day from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. In The Gambia, the 2019–2020 Gambia Demographic and Health Survey reported a maternal mortality ratio of 289 deaths per 100,000 live births,” he said.
Although progress had been made, Dicko said the country still faced a considerable challenge in meeting its maternal health targets.
“Achieving the Sustainable Development Goal target of reducing maternal mortality to fewer than 70 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030 will require a dramatic acceleration of our collective efforts,” he added.
Dicko urged stakeholders to treat maternal mortality as a national development issue rather than a challenge for the health sector alone.
“We must therefore recognise that preventable maternal mortality is not solely a health-sector challenge; it is a national development challenge that requires national leadership and collective responsibility,” he said.
He explained that the consultation was intended to examine the causes of maternal deaths and agree on practical, evidence-based interventions with clear costs and measurable results.
“Our discussions must go beyond identifying challenges. We must determine what needs to change, what investments are required, who will be responsible, and how progress will be monitored and sustained,” he said.
Dicko called for a coordinated national response involving government institutions, development partners and other stakeholders.
“We must bring all hands on deck. Reducing maternal mortality demands difficult but necessary decisions about priorities, resource allocation, health workforce development, infrastructure, service delivery, and accountability,” he said.
He added that reducing maternal deaths would require investment in health workers and medical facilities, as well as policies to address the social and structural barriers that prevent women from accessing timely and quality healthcare.
Dr Fatoumatta Dibba, Deputy Director of Health Financing at the Ministry of Health, said The Gambia had taken the initiative after recognising that other countries in the region had developed roadmaps to reduce maternal deaths.
She said the government did not want The Gambia to be left behind and that the Ministry of Health, UNFPA and other partners had worked together to advance the proposal.
“We shouldn’t be left behind, and the Ministry of Health, together with UNFPA and our very strong partners, decided to sell this idea to the Ministry of Health, and we welcomed it with open arms,” Dibba said.
She explained that a committee involving the Ministries of Health and Finance, the UNFPA country office and other stakeholders had been established to help drive the initiative.
Dibba stressed that reducing maternal mortality required a collective effort, with all relevant institutions working towards a common goal.
She said the commitment must ensure that “no woman should die giving life”.
Dr Yusupha Touray, speaking on behalf of the Minister of Health, said maternal and newborn deaths remained persistent public health challenges in The Gambia despite efforts to improve healthcare delivery.
“Despite significant efforts, maternal mortality ratio remains above the Sustainable Development Goal target of less than 70 per 100,000 in our population,” he said.
He also noted that neonatal mortality remained high, with gaps in the quality and continuity of care during pregnancy, childbirth and the immediate postnatal period.
Touray said the health system continued to face structural challenges, including shortages of skilled health personnel and limited availability and functionality of emergency obstetric and neonatal care services.
He said the government had made reducing maternal, neonatal and child deaths, strengthening primary healthcare and improving referral systems central priorities of the health sector.
“Evidently, the government has taken these challenges head on through programmes and projects, leading to the proliferation of state-of-the-art delivery units in the new Farato Hospital and other facilities across the country,” he said.
Touray also highlighted improvements in the country’s emergency referral system, including an ambulance management system operated through Riders for Health.
He said postgraduate medical training was helping Gambian doctors become recognised specialists across different disciplines. The programme also had experienced trainers who supported the treatment of complicated cases that might otherwise require medical care abroad.
According to Touray, the government had signed new projects with the African Development Bank (AfDB) and Germany’s KfW development bank, which were expected to begin soon.
He said the projects would expand complex-care admission capacity, introduce a digital ambulance system to improve emergency responses across the country, and increase services for heart disease, kidney transplantation and complex cancer cases.
Touray further disclosed that the Ministry of Health’s National Health Sector Strategic Plan for 2026–2030 prioritised addressing unmet family planning needs and preventing avoidable maternal deaths.
“The Strategic Plan aims to build human resources for health and strengthen national capacities to improve maternal health, including prevention and response to fistula,” he said.
He added that investments in quality healthcare, accountability, equity and data, alongside efforts to address social and gender norms, would be important in improving maternal health outcomes.
The Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs has also signalled its readiness to support efforts to reduce maternal deaths through national planning and budgetary decisions.
Permanent Secretary Baboucarr Jobe said maternal health was not only a medical concern but also a matter of public investment and economic management.
“For the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, maternal health is a matter of national planning, public investment, sound economic management, and it is a priority we are prepared to stand behind in our budgeting decisions,” Jobe said.
He said the ministry was ready to work with other stakeholders and would consider recommendations emerging from the consultation.
“The Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs stands ready to be a partner in this effort, and will look forward to receiving your recommendation,” he said.
Jobe stressed the importance of protecting women’s lives during childbirth, calling for a shared commitment to the goal.
“No woman in The Gambia should die while giving birth. Together we can make that a reality,” he said.
The national consultation brings together health authorities, government institutions and development partners to identify the investments and actions needed to reduce maternal deaths as The Gambia works towards the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal target.