Despite certain improvements over the last decade, maternal and infant mortality indicators in Niger remain worrying. The rate of maternal mortality was 520 for 100,000 live births in 2021, and the infant mortality rate is estimated to be 72 %, with higher average rates in rural areas. This situation can be partly explained by the poor quality of healthcare in the country, inappropriate diets and activities affecting health, in particular for women and children (births that take place outside of healthcare structures, poor access to prenatal healthcare, etc.). To address this situation, the Nigerien government developed the 2017-2021 Healthcare development plan, the main objective of which is to reduce maternal, infant and child mortality by improving the availability, accessibility and quality of healthcare provision.

The Tillabéri region has one of the highest rates of infant mortality in Niger. The security situation here is precarious, leading to possible impacts on availability and use of healthcare services.

The project aims to improve access to and use of good quality maternal and child healthcare (MCH) services and sexual and reproductive healthcare (SRH) services in five municipalities in the Filingué health district, in the Tillabéri region. To do this, it plans to strengthen healthcare actors’ capacities at several levels of the health services pyramid.

The project teams intend to strengthen the MCH/SRH capacities of relay persons in communities and health services staff through training, provision of materials, and technical support for referencing and management of inputs.

Governance in the Filingué health district will also be strengthened through the provision of technical and financial support to conduct joint supervisions of the structures it coordinates, facilitate sectoral health meetings, and manage inputs.

GRET is the main leader of the project, which started in March 2023, and will be conducted over a 3-year period.