H.E. Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan

Africa stands at a defining moment in its journey towards health sovereignty, human capital development and sustainable prosperity. Preventable risks still threaten the lives and dignity of millions of women, newborns and children, yet the continent has a clear opportunity to accelerate progress through sustained political leadership, stronger systems and collective action.

As the African Union Champion for Maternal and Child Health, I am honoured to present this RMNCAH Roadmap as a continental call to action and accountability. It reflects our shared ambition for an Africa where every woman survives pregnancy and childbirth, every newborn has a healthy start, every child survives and thrives, and every adolescent can access responsive, rights-based health services.

Anchored in Agenda 2063 and Africa’s broader vision for health security, sovereignty and development, the Roadmap recognises reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health as a strategic investment in Africa’s future. It calls for stronger primary health care, equitable financing and financial protection, nutrition across the RMNCAH continuum, resilient supply chains and African manufacturing, digital transformation, an empowered and retained health workforce, quality services and deeper community engagement.

The Roadmap is built around the Three Zeros: Zero Home Delivery, Zero Preventable Maternal and Newborn Deaths, and Zero Unvaccinated Children. These are not slogans; they are measurable political commitments that require countries and partners to identify who is being missed, remove barriers to timely quality care, finance priority actions and use evidence to correct implementation gaps.

This agenda requires leadership at every level and partnership across governments, Regional Economic Communities, civil society, young people, women’s organisations, academia, development partners, the private sector, individuals, families and communities. We must move from commitments to implementation, from fragmented interventions to integrated systems, and from aspiration to measurable results.

Let us go the extra mile to build an Africa where bringing life into the world does not cost a mother her own life; where every newborn has a healthy start, every child is protected from preventable illness and vaccine-preventable disease, and every adolescent has the opportunity to grow into a healthy and productive adulthood.