A health crisis is unfolding in workplaces across Nigeria—one that we can no longer afford to ignore.
At the 2025 Banking on Women’s Health conference, Healthtracka ‘s Foundation for Advocacy, Innovation and Research (FAIR) unveiled a landmark report: “The State of Women’s Health in Nigeria.”
This report cast a light on the glaring regional inequalities:
👉🏿 In Kebbi State, only 8% of births take place in health facilities, and a mere 6.75% of the 2024 state budget is allocated to health.
👉🏿 Meanwhile, Edo State boasts a 96% rate of facility-based deliveries—but still falls short of the 15% health financing benchmark set by the Abuja Declaration.
👉🏿 In Lagos and Abuja—two of our most resourced regions—over 10% of women lack monthly access to menstrual hygiene products.
This should not be our norm.
Yet there is hope. The report also highlighted interventions that work:
👉🏿 Ferric carboxymaltose for treating maternal anaemia
👉🏿 Community antenatal programmes in Bauchi
👉🏿 HPV self-sampling kits that increased cervical cancer screening from 56% to an incredible 93%
Women’s health cannot be an afterthought. It must be prioritised in budgets, reflected in boardroom decisions, and embedded into every facet of policy and planning.
Workplace policies that support women’s biological realities—like menstrual and menopause leave, reproductive care insurance, and flexible schedules—don’t just improve well-being, they retain talent, reduce absenteeism, and boost performance.
This is what we mean when we speak of a Healthy Woman, a Healthy Nation.
Let’s build a country where every woman—no matter her age, income, or location—can thrive in health, at work, and in life.
