Dar es Salaam — AFRICA cannot achieve sustainable development while millions of women and children continue to face preventable deaths and unequal access to essential healthcare.

Maternal and child health must, therefore, move from being treated as a sectoral concern to becoming a central pillar of the continent's development agenda.

The message emerging from the high-level SHE RISES meeting in New York is both timely and important: African countries must take greater ownership of the health and dignity of women and children.

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Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndeitwah's call for stronger domestic financing is particularly significant. Reliance on external assistance may provide valuable support, but it cannot be the foundation of a sustainable health system.

Tanzania's experience demonstrates what political commitment, resources and implementation can achieve. The reported decline in maternal deaths from 556 to 104 per 100,000 live births between 2015 and 2022, alongside the reduction in under-five mortality from 67 to 43 per 1,000 live births, points to the potential of sustained investment and focused interventions.

Initiatives such as the M-Mama emergency referral system further illustrate how investment can translate into practical services. By August 2026, the system had facilitated more than 150,000 emergency referrals involving pregnant women and newborns. Such interventions matter because in maternal and newborn health, delays can mean the difference between life and death.

Yet, Africa must guard against complacency. Progress remains uneven, and ambitious continental commitments will mean little unless they are reflected in national budgets, functioning health facilities, adequate supplies and a well-supported health workforce.

The emphasis on women's leadership is equally important. Women constitute about 70 per cent of Africa's health workforce but, according to the World Health Organisation's Africa leadership, account for only about 25 per cent of decision-making roles.

This imbalance deserves urgent attention. Women should not merely deliver health services; they must have a meaningful voice in determining priorities, allocating resources and designing the systems in which they work.

The "Three Zeros" agenda eliminating home deliveries, preventable maternal and newborn deaths, and children missing vaccinations, provides a clear framework for action. But achieving these goals requires accountability at every level, from national governments to local health facilities.

Africa's leaders must, therefore, match declarations with budgets, policies with implementation, and commitments with measurable results. Every mother who receives timely care and every child who survives a preventable illness represents not only a health victory, but an investment in Africa's human capital.

The continent's future depends on its people. Protecting mothers and children is consequently not an optional social responsibility; it is one of the most important investments Africa can make in its own future.