Twenty-nine women from Nigeria's health sector have completed the 2025 Nigeria Leadership Journey, a 12-month leadership development programme aimed at increasing women's influence in the country's healthcare system. The initiative was delivered through a partnership between WomenLift Health and the Women in Leadership Advancement Network (WILAN), concluding with a two-day "Lift-Off" event in Abuja. Participants, all mid-career professionals, engaged in in-person residencies, virtual sessions, mentorship, coaching, and leadership projects focused on systems thinking, influence-building, and peer support. The programme seeks to address the underrepresentation of women in health leadership despite their dominant presence in frontline roles, particularly in a country responsible for nearly 20% of global maternal deaths. Speaking at the event, Permanent Secretary Daju Kachollom, representing Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare Muhammad Ali Pate, stated, "Nigeria's health system cannot reach its full potential without inclusive and representative leadership. When women lead, maternal mortality becomes more than a statistic. It becomes a mission. When women lead, primary healthcare is not just infrastructure. It becomes a lifeline." WomenLift Health President Amie Batson highlighted the global pattern of women being central to healthcare delivery yet underrepresented in leadership. WILAN Founder Abosede George-Ogan described the initiative as a way to amplify the impact of women already shaping the system. The organisers plan to expand the programme in 2026 with a focus on midwifery leadership.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare claims women's leadership turns maternal mortality from a statistic into a mission, yet his ministry has not implemented a national policy to track gender representation in health leadership roles. With Nigeria accounting for nearly 20% of global maternal deaths, the absence of measurable targets for women's advancement within the system undermines the weight of his words. The 2025 cohort's success highlights a reliance on foreign-linked organisations like WomenLift Health to fill a gap the federal ministry has not prioritised. If women leading is truly a lifeline, then the ministry's inaction on structural inclusion is a contradiction in terms.
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