Coca-Cola Nigeria has partnered with the Federal Government and the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goal against infant and maternal mortality.
Peter Njonjo, the President, Coca-Cola West Africa, said this at the inauguration of the partnership under the Safe Birth Initiative on Friday in Abuja.
Ojonjo expressed concern over increased rate of deaths associated with childbirths.
He said that 80 per cent of infant and maternal mortality in Nigeria were preventable if all stakeholders contributed their quota to minimise the trend.
He said that the issue of safe birth resonated around well-being of women, adding that Coca-Cola had commitment to women considering the fact that they were pillars of the society.
He said: “As Coca-Cola, we have chosen to join in the fight against maternal and infant mortality so that our mothers and babies can come home alive after birth.
“Working with the Federal Ministry of Health and the OSSAP-SDGs as well as MedShare International, we developed the safe birth initiative where government, private sector and the civil society come together to tackle issues.
“We recognise that there are many factors responsible for the high maternal and infant mortality and this will require different skills and levels of intervention.
“We want to support our doctors, midwives and nurses who battle against great odds in public hospitals to manage life threatening complications affecting mothers and newborns.”
He said that Safe Birth Initiative had been structured to help address the inadequacy of vital lifesaving equipment in public hospitals.
Njonjo said that the initiative would focus on the procurement of facilities and the training of biomedical engineers and technicians.
In her remark, Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs, commended Coca-Cola and other stakeholders for the partnership.
She said that the initiative was to support the efforts of the Federal Government to reduce infant and maternal mortality in the country.
Trending
- Traditional ruler shot dead inside palace
- Primate Ayodele to Yoruba Nation agitators: You can’t break Nigeria
- Police intercept bags of Indian Hemp at Lagos jetty
- Enugu, families to give Ibu, Junior Pope befitting burial
- Police arrest suspects for attempting to disrupt inauguration of commissioners
- Police rescue three children locked up by grandmother + Photo
- Police foil attack in Katsina, neutralise suspected bandit
- US vetoes Palestine’s request for full UN membership