Following the recent reconstitution of the Gombe State Executive Council by His Excellency, Governor Muhammed Inuwa Yahaya, in July 2026, the Enhancing Maternal and Baby Resilience through Access, Care and Equity (EMBRACE) Project Team, comprising members from TAConnect and The Africa Center of Excellence for Population Health and Policy (ACEPHAP), paid a courtesy and advocacy visit to the newly appointed Honourable Commissioner for Health, Prof. Danladi Adamu Bojude.

The occasion provided an opportunity to formally introduce the EMBRACE project to the new Ministry of Health leadership, establish a working relationship, and align project activities with the priorities and institutional structures of the Gombe State health system. More than a routine courtesy call, the visit reinforced continuity in government engagement and strengthened efforts to promote state ownership and strategic partnership in improving maternal and newborn health outcomes.

During the meeting, the team highlighted progress achieved to date, including the project inception meeting, landscape assessment and validation of findings, co-creation workshop, and strategic stakeholder engagements with the Gombe State Government. These preparatory activities are critical to ensuring that the intervention is grounded in the realities of and responsive to the State’s priorities.

Discussions also focused on critical health system priorities affecting maternal and newborn health outcomes, including gaps in referral systems, human resources for health, quality of care, and coordination across levels of care. These have contributed to designing the context-responsive interventions being implemented by EMBRACE.

In his response, the Honourable Commissioner for Health, Prof. Danladi Adamu Bojude, expressed appreciation for the courtesy visit and the progress achieved so far by the EMBRACE Project. He reaffirmed the Gombe State Government’s commitment to supporting and collaborating with the project, emphasising the importance of embedding sustainability measures from the outset to ensure lasting impact beyond the project period.

The Commissioner noted that the project aligns with the State’s health sector priorities and assured the team of the Government’s full support in driving the intervention forward.

The advocacy visit concluded with a shared understanding of the importance of continued collaboration between the project and the Gombe State Government. As the project transitions from the co-design phase to implementation, sustained engagement with the Government, communities, and other stakeholders will remain essential to achieving lasting impact in maternal and newborn health