At the African Union summit that took place this past weekend, various leaders made a rallying call for Africa to invest more in maternal health. The appeal goes beyond the plight of mothers and newborns and speaks to the very foundation of our health systems and, ultimately, to the continent’s development trajectory. Maternal mortality remains one of the starkest indicators of inequality and systemic weakness on our continent. When a woman dies giving life, it is rarely because the medical science to save her does not exist. More often, it is because the systems meant to deliver that care fail her — clinics without equipment, health centres without skilled personnel, referral systems that do not function, and financing models that leave gaps where there should be guarantees. The conversation at the African Union is therefore timely. But maternal health cannot be treated as a stand-alone agenda item. It is a mirror reflecting the broader state of national health systems across the continent. Stronger health systems that are adequately financed, efficiently managed, and anchored in primary healthcare are the only sustainable solution. For decades, many African countries have relied heavily on external financing to plug health sector gaps. While international solidarity has saved lives and remains important, it has also exposed a structural vulnerability. When global priorities shift or funding tightens, the consequences are felt immediately in our hospitals and health centres. Essential programmes stall, and gains painstakingly made risk reversal. This is precisely why the call for greater domestic investment is existential. Africa must progressively finance its own health ambitions. Budget allocations must reflect the centrality of health to economic growth, human capital development, and social stability. No nation can claim to be on a sustainable development path if its mothers continue to die from preventable causes. Encouragingly, platforms like the African Union are increasingly foregrounding these issues. That is a positive step. Yet, declarations and communiqués, however well intentioned, will not save lives on their own. The more critical phase begins after the summit halls empty — when governments return home to translate commitments into line items in national budgets, into training for midwives, into stocked maternity wards, and into functional referral networks. Walking the talk means prioritizing primary healthcare, investing in community health workers, strengthening data systems, and ensuring that rural women are not left behind. It also means fostering innovation from within — leveraging local research institutions, embracing homegrown insurance models, and scaling solutions that have proven effective in African contexts. The continent’s maternal health challenge is solvable. But it demands ownership. The time has come for African countries to look within, marshal their own resources, and build resilient health systems that can withstand global shocks. The summit conversation was necessary. Now, action must follow.
