Abu Dhabi announces $500M fund to improve maternal health in Africa

Abu Dhabi witnessed the launch of the Beginnings Fund on Tuesday, a $500-million initiative aimed at improving maternal and neonatal health in sub-Saharan Africa. The launch comes at a critical time, with Western nations significantly reducing aid to the region.

The fund unites key philanthropic players, including the Gates Foundation and the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity, overseen by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed. Organisers announced that the fund has already secured $450 million in pledges, setting a deadline of 2030 to meet the $500-million target.

Focused on preventing more than 300,000 deaths and enhancing healthcare access for 34 million mothers and newborns, the Beginnings Fund seeks to address severe gaps created by recent aid cuts. An aid freeze imposed earlier this year by US President Donald Trump has sharply reduced budgets for numerous humanitarian initiatives.

"It's a very critical time," said Tala Al Ramahi, spokeswoman for the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity.

"Philanthropy cannot fill the gaps that the aid cuts have left behind," she told AFP, adding that the Beginnings Fund will target "the products, people, and systems required to improve and scale maternal and neonatal health".

Over the next five years, the fund plans to collaborate with ten countries: Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Lesotho, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

According to the organisers, most deaths in sub-Saharan Africa occur within the first month of life, with the region accounting for 70 percent of global maternal fatalities. Each year, 182,000 women and 1.2 million newborns die from preventable causes, in addition to 950,000 stillbirths, the statement said.