The Beginnings Fund has announced a partnership with the Ethiopian government to strengthen maternal and newborn healthcare and reduce preventable deaths, the fund said. The five-year programme will operate across eight regions and 210 health facilities, focusing on expanding access to affordable care for pregnant women, mothers and newborns. Of the total funding, $10 million has already been channelled through Ethiopia's Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Compact, a government mechanism that coordinates financing for maternal and child health services.
The investment is designed to support Ethiopia's national health priorities by investing in healthcare workers, medical equipment, essential medicines, infrastructure and emergency referral systems, the fund said. The partnership is expected to contribute to preventing approximately 86,000 maternal and newborn deaths and stillbirths by 2031. Over the next five years, the programme will recruit and develop skilled healthcare professionals, improve the availability of essential medicines and equipment, and strengthen health facility infrastructure.
Ethiopia's Minister of Health, Dr Mekdes Daba, described the partnership as an important investment in the country's ambition to improve maternal and newborn healthcare. The Beginnings Fund, a $525 million philanthropic initiative launched in Abu Dhabi in 2025, aims by 2031 to expand access to quality healthcare for 34 million mothers and babies across 10 African countries and prevent more than 300,000 avoidable deaths, the fund said. Ethiopia is the third country to announce a partnership with the fund, after Kenya and Malawi.