Healthtracka unveils State of Women’s Health Report at BWHC 2025

Nigerian women have been urged to place their well-being at the top of their priority list, regardless of work and family pressure or society demands.

This call was made in Lagos Saturday at the 2025 edition of Banking on Women’s Health Conference (BWHC), an initiative by Healthtracka designed as a movement to drive conversation, innovation and policy changes that put women health at the forefront.

With a spotlight on pressing women’s health issues, the conference gathered medical thought leaders, healthcare professionals, and policymakers to ignite meaningful conversations and drive actionable solutions aimed at improving women’s health.

In her opening remarks, Ife Dare Johnson, CEO of Healthtracka and convener of the event, delivered a heartfelt call to action, urging society to move women’s health from the margins to the mainstream and treat it as the priority it truly deserves.

According to her, how do you build a nation, an economy and a workforce on the back of women who are silently suffering? How do you tell women to do great exploits without actually taking care of their health?

“Today, we flip the script. Women deserve to be well. They deserve to be bold, heard and prioritised. This conference is a movement and through open conversations and collaborative action, we are driving changes that put women’s health where it belongs- at the centre of investment, policy and innovation,” she stated.

In her keynote address, Rodio Diallo, Deputy Director Family Health, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation confirmed that transparency and childbirth are claiming the lives of women who are the backbone of their families and communities. According to her, this reality underscores the imperative to act swiftly, decisively and collaboratively.

She explained that the foundation is intensifying efforts to address women health challenges through strategic investment and partnership.

In her words, “We are supporting the expansion of life-saving interventions such as the postpartum emerge bundle,

which is the most effective way to reduce the risk of childbirth. To prevent severe bleeding after childbirth and the scale-up of the multiple micro-nutrient supplement to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes. We recognize that a robust primary health care system is vital and as such we are collaborating with the Nigerian government through its Renewed Hope Agenda and other initiatives. We are also working with other stakeholders to strengthen health services at the community level, ensuring that women have access to quality care when and where they need it.”

Also speaking on advancing women health as a National Priority, Adanna Steinacker, Senior Special Adviser to the Nigerian President on Women’s Health, called for a robust collaboration to amplify the efforts of the Federal Government in promoting women’s healthcare, reiterating that the boldest policy means nothing if it does not meet real people in real time.

“Whether you are a policymaker, a midwife, a data analyst, or a patient advocate, this work requires all of us. The time to fund women’s health innovation is now. Not as charity, but as the smartest investment in our nation’s prosperity. You cannot argue that a healthy woman means a healthy nation. When women are healthy, communities thrive, families prosper, and our nation blooms. So let’s not look at it as a charity case and the smartest investment that we would make in our country,” she said.

While making her presentation, Dr. Modupe Elebute – Odunsi Co-founder & CEO, Marcelle Ruth Cancer Centre emphasized that Cancer is curable if presented early.

The oncologist explained that it is normal for cancer to occurs but the biggest message is that, early detection saves lives, noting that once it is presented in the early stages, cancer is curable.

However, unlocking solutions to the myriad challenges in women’s health hinges on robust medical research, a pursuit that demands not just expertise, but substantial and sustained funding.

Professor Bosede Afolabi, Head of Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the College of Medicine, UNILAG, provided an insight to this assertion while speaking on The Future of Women’s Health Begins with Research.

According to her, good funding is necessary to do good research. She called on all levels of governments to be deliberate and intentional about research especially into women’s health, stressing that society must contribute to women’s health research to restore the country’s economy

The conversation further deepened at a fireside chat, where a panel of medical experts unpacked the theme, “Women’s Health Gap: The Silent Battle That Holds Women Back.” The session shed light on the reproductive health issues such as challenges of mensuration, menopause, mental health and the urgent need to give them serious attention.

The key highlight of the conference was the unveiling of State of Women’s Health Report in Nigeria and the Banking on Women’s Health Innovation Awards, an initiative designed to spotlight and support forward-thinking health solutions with a view to impacting women’s health outcomes across Nigeria.

Banking on Women’s Health Conference is an annual event that marks a defining moment in Nigeria’s healthcare landscape, placing women’s health at the forefront of national dialogue, innovation and policy.

Healthtracka unveils State of Women’s Health Report at BWHC 2025