Former Rivers Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, has called for greater investment in women’s economic wellbeing, saying the health of women cannot be separated from the strength of the nation’s economy.
Amaechi made the call on Friday in Abuja at the Her Health, Her Power Conference Africa 2026, organised by the VickyHeldan Empowerment Foundation, with the theme: “Leading with Wellness for a Sustainable Africa.”
He said women, particularly those engaged in agriculture, needed better economic opportunities and access to healthcare to enable them contribute meaningfully to national development.
“You certainly cannot make a female look healthier and stronger if the economy is bad,” Amaechi said.
He noted that between 40 and 60 per cent of Nigerian women were involved in farming, stressing the need for policies that would improve their access to productive opportunities and healthcare.
Amaechi said political leaders had a responsibility to create conditions that would enable women to live healthier and more productive lives.
He also advocated greater investment in women’s education, saying educated women were better positioned to provide effective leadership.
Reflecting on his tenure as Governor of Rivers, Amaechi said his administration had established health centres across communities as part of efforts to address maternal and child mortality.
He said doctors and nurses were employed at the centres, while pregnant women were given financial incentives to encourage antenatal care attendance.
According to him, the approach helped to address both healthcare and economic challenges facing women.
“You need to take our mothers back to the villages to make sure the villages are transformed to where it is liveable, to establish hospitals, to establish health centres, to employ doctors to take care of female complications,” he said.
Amaechi also urged stakeholders to recognise the connection between women’s wellbeing and the wider health of the country.
“The problem with a country too is that if you have a sick female population, the country will be sick,” he said.
He called for greater involvement of politicians in initiatives aimed at improving women’s health, noting that decisions made by political leaders directly affect the lives of citizens.
The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, represented by Mrs Adedayo Laniyi, said women’s health was not merely a health-sector issue but also an economic, social development and national development concern.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim said Nigeria’s maternal mortality burden remained a major concern, noting that the country accounted for a significant proportion of global maternal deaths.
She said most maternal deaths were preventable when women had timely access to skilled birth attendants, quality antenatal and postnatal care, emergency obstetric services, blood and medicines.
The minister said health should be viewed beyond hospital services, noting that access to nutritious food, clean water, safe housing, clean energy, transportation, income, social protection, education and information also influenced women’s health.
She said the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development was implementing initiatives aimed at linking women’s health with economic empowerment, social protection, livelihoods and community development.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim also highlighted the relationship between women’s economic empowerment and health security, saying women with income and savings were better positioned to respond to healthcare emergencies.(NAN)
