Akandoh Announces 20% Annual Maternal Death Reduction Target

Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has announced that Ghana is targeting a 20 per cent annual reduction in maternal deaths as part of efforts to improve maternal healthcare and prevent avoidable deaths among pregnant women and new mothers.

He said the target reflects the government’s commitment to strengthening maternal health services and ensuring that women receive timely, quality and effective care during pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period.

Mr Akandoh made the announcement while addressing global health leaders at the World Health Summit in Berlin, Germany, where he outlined Ghana’s interventions to improve maternal health outcomes.

He explained that the government’s determination to reduce maternal mortality had informed the introduction of the Presidential Initiative on Maternal Health Emergency Response (PRIMER), which seeks to strengthen the country’s capacity to respond to maternal health emergencies.

The Minister stressed that reducing maternal deaths requires more than financial investment, noting that strong political leadership, functional healthcare systems and accountability are essential to achieving measurable progress.

“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 Mahama, we have launched the Presidential Initiative on Maternal Health Emergency Response. Our ambition is clear: to reduce maternal deaths by 20 percent annually,” he said.

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 expected to support Ghana’s efforts to improve maternal health outcomes by strengthening emergency response systems and ensuring that pregnant women and mothers receive timely medical attention when complications arise.

The government’s annual reduction target forms part of broader efforts to improve access to quality maternal healthcare and reduce preventable deaths across the country.