Procurement sits at the centre of whether essential maternal and newborn health commodities reach patients. When procurement systems work well, life‑saving medicines, equipment, and supplies are available when and where they are needed most. When they don’t, delays, stock‑outs, and inefficiencies can directly impact outcomes for women and newborns.
At the International Maternal Newborn Health Conference (IMNHC) 2026 in Nairobi, our Regional Programme Manager, Esther Njenga, shared practical insights into how strengthening procurement systems is improving access to essential maternal and newborn health commodities across multiple country contexts.
Procurement is often viewed as a technical back‑office function, yet its influence on health system performance is profound. From planning and specification development through to sourcing, contract management, and supplier performance, procurement decisions shape availability, affordability, and quality of care.
Esther’s session highlighted how targeted improvements in procurement systems can unlock value, reduce delays, and ensure commodities reach the frontline faster—particularly in resource‑constrained settings.
Across Kenya, Nigeria, and Ethiopia, our work focuses on strengthening procurement systems by taking a holistic approach. This includes:
This work is complemented by sustained investment in people. Building procurement capability across multidisciplinary teams ensures that improvements are embedded, scalable, and resilient over time.
By working closely with health, finance, and supply chain teams, we support procurement to function as a strategic enabler rather than a transactional bottleneck.
The impact of this approach is already visible.
Across supported regions, procurement system strengthening has led to:
These improvements demonstrate how targeted procurement reforms can deliver tangible results—both in terms of efficiency and health system performance.
At the subnational level, collaboration has been key. Working alongside partners such as InSupply and ThinkWell (HSI), coordinated efforts have strengthened:
These partnerships highlight the value of aligned, system‑wide approaches that avoid duplication and focus on shared objectives.
One of the most significant takeaways from the session was the scale of value lost due to procurement inefficiencies. It is estimated that up to 20% of procurement value can be lost through fragmented processes, delays, and weak capability.
Recovering this value can have a transformative impact:
In maternal and newborn health, where timing and availability are critical, these gains can be life‑saving.
We are grateful to Dr Minnie Kibore of the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation and Martha Peren of Amref Health Africa for guiding such a thoughtful and engaging discussion during the session. Their contributions reinforced the importance of cross‑sector collaboration and shared learning in strengthening health systems.
As conversations from IMNHC 2026 continue, one message remains clear: stronger procurement systems are essential to delivering real, measurable improvements in maternal and newborn health.
By investing in systems, people, and partnerships, procurement can move from the margins to the centre of health impact—ensuring that essential commodities reach those who need them most.