…Dr. Njoku says outreach will cover six geopolitical zones in partnership with govt, NGOs
By Iyoho Emmanuel
ABUJA – The Vicky Halden Empowerment Foundation has announced plans to take women’s health advocacy and intervention programmes to rural communities across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones and other parts of Africa.
Founder of the Foundation and Convener of the Her Health, Her Power Conference Africa, Dr. Victory Njoku, disclosed this on Tuesday at the end of the 2026 edition of the conference held at the SheFouhu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja. The theme was “Leading with Wellness for a Sustainable Africa.”
Njoku said the initiative was aimed at addressing persistent healthcare challenges confronting African women, especially those in rural and underserved communities.
She explained that the conference was organised to bring together First Ladies, healthcare practitioners, advocates, industry leaders and other stakeholders to build stronger partnerships for advancing women’s health.
According to her, the greatest challenge facing women’s healthcare in Nigeria is the lack of effective collaboration between government agencies, non-governmental organisations and other actors in the health sector.
“The greatest challenge is lack of collaboration,” she said. “We are looking at how to create synergy between government policies and their execution, because policy is one thing and execution is another.”
Njoku stressed that the conference was not meant to be another talk shop.
“We’re not just having this conference to come and sit down and have a conversation. We are here to make the right action,” she said.
The Foundation’s founder said the planned outreach would be executed in collaboration with state Ministries of Health and relevant NGOs across the six zones and in other African countries.
“We are going to have an outreach in rural areas in the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria and some parts of Africa as well, with the collaboration of their Ministry of Health and other NGOs that will help us propel this message forward,” Njoku hinted.
She added that the initiative would enable the Foundation to move beyond advocacy at conferences and reach women with limited access to healthcare information and services.
Njoku also urged Nigerians to be more deliberate about their health, noting that personal and community wellbeing was key to national development.
“I’m imploring everyone to be intentional about your health, because your health is your wealth, and you cannot do anything without being healthy. With a healthy nation, we will build a progressive nation,” she advised.
In her welcome address, Njoku said the Her Health, Her Power Conference Africa was established to respond to challenges confronting women’s health through leadership, collaboration and action.
She said the vision was to build an Africa where every woman has equitable access to quality healthcare and can make informed health choices.
The convener called on policymakers, First Ladies, development partners, healthcare leaders, the private sector and civil society to place wellness at the centre of governance.
She urged stakeholders to strengthen cross-sector collaboration, prioritise preventive care and mental health, and promote data-driven and culturally responsive healthcare interventions.
The 2026 conference featured a keynote address, policy dialogue, panel discussions, advocacy workshops and empowerment activities. Discussions focused on maternal and reproductive health, health policy, access to quality care, innovation and sustainable health systems.
The Foundation said the planned rural outreach would build on partnerships generated at the conference to extend women’s health advocacy beyond the conference room to communities where the need is greatest.
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