Dar es Salaam, Tanzania – 13 May 2026 – A renewed push to reduce preventable maternal, newborn, child and adolescent deaths across Africa is underway, with the latest step being a high-level meeting between H.E. Samia Suluhu Hassan, President of the United Republic of Tanzania, and Dr Jean Kaseya, Director General of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
The meeting focused on advancing the African Union Champion Roadmap for Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health (MNCAH), a flagship continental platform designed to strengthen political leadership, accountability, domestic financing and coordinated action to improve maternal and child survival by 2030.
Building on President Hassan’s appointment as African Union Champion for Maternal and Child Health at the February 2026 African Union General Assembly, discussions centred on validating the roadmap, aligning Year One implementation priorities, and strengthening collaboration between Tanzania, Africa CDC, and continental partners ahead of the implementation rollout.
The leaders emphasised that maternal and child survival is central to Africa’s health security, sovereignty and development agenda. Despite progress, Sub-Saharan Africa continues to carry the world’s highest burden of preventable maternal and child deaths, underscoring the urgent need for accelerated investment in quality care, emergency referral systems, skilled health workers, vaccines, medicines, health data systems and accountability mechanisms.
President Hassan highlighted Tanzania’s progress in reducing maternal mortality through expanded emergency obstetric and newborn care, strengthened skilled delivery services, digital maternal death reviews and the m-Mama emergency referral model. Tanzania will also serve as a continental convening and learning hub to support peer learning, innovation and leadership across Member States.
The initiative builds on President Hassan’s “Jiongeze Tuwavushe Salama” (“Go the Extra Mile to Save”) campaign, launched in 2018 to accelerate action on maternal and newborn survival in Tanzania. Under the AU Champion agenda, the initiative will focus on the “Three Zeros”:
- Zero home deliveries without skilled care and emergency referral
- Zero preventable maternal and newborn deaths
- Zero unvaccinated children
The two leaders also reviewed strategies to strengthen accountability systems, mobilise sustainable financing, improve local manufacturing of health commodities and reinforce country-led coordination to accelerate implementation and impact.
President Hassan underscored the urgency of collective action, noting that maternal and child survival is not only a health priority, but also an economic and development imperative for the continent.
“The survival and well-being of mothers and children are central to Africa’s future,” said Dr Kaseya. “This initiative reflects a shared determination to strengthen health systems, expand access to quality care and ensure that women, children and adolescents remain at the centre of Africa’s development agenda.”
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About Africa CDC
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) is the public health agency of the African Union. As an autonomous institution, Africa CDC supports AU Member States to strengthen health systems, improve disease surveillance, and enhance emergency preparedness and response. For more information, visit: http://www.africacdc.org and follow Africa CDC on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, and YouTube.
Media contact:
Margaret Edwin, Director of Communication and Public Information | edwinm@africacdc.org
