The Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has disclosed that Ghana is targeting a 20 percent annual reduction in maternal deaths as part of renewed efforts to improve maternal healthcare and prevent avoidable deaths among pregnant women and mothers.
He said the ambitious target underlines the government’s commitment to strengthening maternal health services and ensuring that women have access to timely, quality and effective medical care throughout pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period.
Akandoh disclosed while addressing leaders in the global health sector at the World Health Summit in Berlin, Germany, where he highlighted Ghana’s efforts to improve maternal health outcomes through targeted government interventions.
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He explained that the government’s commitment to reducing maternal deaths informed the launch of the Presidential Initiative on Maternal Health Emergency Response (PRIMER), which is intended to strengthen Ghana’s response to maternal health emergencies.
Akandoh further stated that reducing maternal mortality requires more than financial resources, stressing the importance of political leadership, effective healthcare systems and accountability in achieving measurable improvements in health outcomes.
“We recognise that financing alone will not save mothers. It takes political leadership, it takes functioning health systems, and it takes accountability for results. That is why under President John Dramani, we have launched the Presidential Initiative on Maternal Health Emergency Response. Our ambition is clear: to reduce maternal deaths by 20 percent annually.”
The Presidential Initiative on Maternal Health Emergency Response was officially launched on September 16, 2026, by Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang.
The initiative is intended to support Ghana’s efforts to improve maternal health outcomes and strengthen the response to emergencies that threaten the lives of pregnant women and mothers.
CNR