Source: This Day
The United Nations Women (UN W), an agency of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, and Novo Health Africa (NHA), a health organisation based in Abuja, saturday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to empower about 1,000 women

through improving their health and economic conditions for social and economic development of the country.

At the signing ceremony, the UN Women country representative to Nigeria and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Dr. Grace Ongile, said the country's office in Nigeria recognises the importance of synergy with stakeholders like Novo Health Africa in addressing the broad challenges faced by women and young girls across the continent.

While commending Novo Health Africa for the initiative in coming up with the idea, she expressed satisfaction at the event which, according to her, marks the commencement of yet another strategic partnership for sustainable development in the country.

"Novo Health Africa is today adding up to our list of partners," she said. The specific objectives of the partnership, according to her, include: "To build strong synergies between Novo Health Africa and UN Women for the empowerment and well-being of girls and women in Nigeria; to improve the health and economic conditions of poor and vulnerable groups, especially women in Nigeria."

In her remarks, the Managing Director, NHA, Dr. Dorothy Jeff-Nnamani, stated that it is the belief of the organisation that to attain measurable social and economic development, the Nigeria health system must be positioned to deliver on its basic goals as any other system, namely to keep families healthy, treat the sick and prevent families from catastrophic financial effects of ill health, adding that she hopes to build local and international partnerships for timely and wider reach response to health related issues.

She said: "Novo Health Africa hopes to contribute to strengthening the health system for social and economic development by developing and providing sustainable health programmes and services." Jeff-Nnamani added that NHA will distinguish itself through professionalism, quality and outstanding service experience.

 

Grace Ongile

• Nigeria