Medical experts and stakeholders have called for urgent action to reduce deaths and complications associated with preterm births in Nigeria, insisting that keeping premature babies alive must no longer be regarded as the ultimate measure of success.

The experts said survival must be accompanied by quality neonatal care, early referral, sustained medical follow-up and family support to give premature babies a better chance of healthy development.

They spoke at the 2026 Preterm Summit organised by the Early Births Awareness and Support Foundation (EBAS), with the theme, “Strengthening Preterm Survival in Nigeria: From Access to Outcomes.”

Delivering the keynote address, “Strengthening Preterm Survival in Nigeria,” Professor Angela Frank Briggs described preterm birth as a “silent emergency”, warning that Nigeria must strengthen its maternal and newborn healthcare systems to reduce preventable deaths and improve long-term outcomes for premature babies.

Briggs, a paediatric neurologist, said preterm birth could no longer be treated as merely a neonatal health problem, stressing that its consequences extended to maternal health, families, the healthcare system, the economy and the nation’s human capital.

She said, “Every year, many babies are born too soon. The World Health Organization estimates that about 13.4 million babies were born preterm globally. Unfortunately, one in every ten live births. Preterm birth complications remain the leading cause of death among children under five.

“And the WHO estimates that a substantial proportion of these deaths could be prevented with interventions that are already known and cost-effective. Behind every statistic is a mother. Behind every statistic is a father. Behind every statistic is a family waiting anxiously beside an incubator, and behind every statistic is a child whose future should not be estimated by the circumstances of his or her birth.”

The expert said access to a health facility alone could not guarantee survival, arguing that the quality of care available after a mother and baby arrived at the facility could determine the outcome.

She said facilities providing childbirth services must be equipped with skilled birth attendants, functional newborn resuscitation services, reliable oxygen, infection-control systems, appropriate feeding support and kangaroo mother care.

Briggs also called for efficient referral systems to ensure that premature babies born in facilities without adequate neonatal capacity were quickly transferred to centres capable of providing the required level of care.

She illustrated the importance of such a system with the experience of a 700-gram premature baby, her husband’s nephew, who was born in a private facility in Rivers State and later transferred to a better-equipped facility outside the state.

She said, “He was so tiny that when my husband saw him, he wondered whether the baby would survive. They had to make arrangements and, at the end of the day, took him out of Rivers State to a better facility.

“Today, the boy is in university. We were so worried at that time. As a doctor and a paediatric neurologist, I was wondering whether this child would have cerebral palsy, whether he would walk when he was supposed to, sit when he was supposed to and communicate.”

Briggs said the availability of a transport incubator and a standby referral system enabled the baby to be moved quickly to a facility where he could receive appropriate care.

She, however, warned that discharge from a neonatal unit should not mark the end of care for premature babies, noting that many of them require continued medical, developmental and family support.

The keynote speaker also advocated stronger maternal healthcare services as part of efforts to prevent preterm births, stressing that interventions before delivery could significantly influence newborn survival and wellbeing.

She called for improved preconception care, family planning services, adolescent reproductive health education, antenatal care and maternal nutrition.

She further advocated the prevention and treatment of infections, hypertension, preeclampsia, diabetes and maternal anaemia, while urging healthcare providers to identify high-risk pregnancies early and ensure timely referral and quality obstetric care.

Briggs said Nigeria’s challenge was not necessarily the absence of policies but poor implementation, urging authorities to translate existing policies into practical interventions at community and health facility levels.

“The challenge is not as if we do not have some of these policies in place. But the challenge we have in our country is implementation. So we must move from policy being on paper to being in practice.

“We must strengthen the entire continuum from the womb to the community, to primary healthcare centres, secondary facilities, tertiary neonatal units and follow-up. The premature baby does not exist in isolation from the mother,” she said.

She also referenced the Nigerian Child Survival Action Plan 2025–2029, saying it emphasised a continuum of care from households and communities through primary and higher-level health facilities, while promoting coordinated action to address inequalities in child health outcomes.

Earlier, the founder of EBAS, Mrs. Tari Agiobu, said Nigeria’s preterm birth burden demanded urgent attention, noting that approximately 774,000 babies were born preterm in the country in 2020, according to WHO and UNICEF estimates.

Agiobu said approximately one in every 10 babies born in Nigeria was estimated to be preterm, adding that the country’s estimated preterm birth rate remained at about 9.9 per cent between 2010 and 2020.

She challenged stakeholders to move beyond statistics and focus on whether premature babies receive appropriate care quickly enough to give them a chance not only to survive but to thrive.

Agiobu said, “Today, I don’t want us to simply ask: How many babies are born too soon? I want us to ask: What happens to them when they arrive? Do they get the care they need? Do they get it early enough? Does where a baby is born determine how much of a chance that baby has?

“Because preterm birth is not just a medical issue. It is a family issue. It is a health-system issue. It is a policy issue. And ultimately, it is a human issue.”

Agiobu, who disclosed that she lost a set of twins born preterm about 10 years ago, said her personal experience had strengthened her commitment to advocating better care and support for premature babies and their families.

She said, “I stand before you today not only as the convener of this summit, but as a mother who lost a set of twins born preterm about 10 years ago. I know the fear of waiting. I know the hope of praying. And I know what it means to leave the hospital without your children.
“I cannot change what happened to my babies. But I can choose what their lives will mean. And perhaps that is why this conversation matters so deeply to me. But this summit is not about my story. It is about our collective responsibility.”

The EBAS founder urged stakeholders to use the summit to confront gaps in Nigeria’s preterm care system and develop practical solutions capable of improving outcomes for mothers and babies.

She said survival should be viewed as the beginning of a premature child’s care journey rather than its conclusion.

Agiobu said, “Let us ask not only how we can help more babies survive, but how we can create the conditions for them to thrive. Because survival should not be the end of the conversation. It should be the beginning.

“A beginning that includes the baby, the mother, the family and everything that comes after the NICU.”

A participant at the summit, Rebi Alexander, described the event as impactful, saying she gained valuable knowledge about kangaroo mother care, which she said had helped her family.

Alexander urged stakeholders to take information about preterm care to communities across the country, particularly areas where mothers and families may lack access to essential knowledge.

She said, “This is a very, very impactful event. I wish it can be taken out for more people to see. Personally, I have learnt so much, and it’s shocking to hear that some people still don’t know so much about the kangaroo mother care technique.

“It helped in my case. My husband did it, my sister helped me, so if they can take this message far and wide, I think it would help society at large, because in Nigeria, there is a lot we are not exposed to. It will shock you to know how much knowledge is still hidden.”

Alexander also highlighted the psychological needs of women during and after childbirth, calling for clinical psychologists and psychiatrists to form part of the wider childbirth and maternal healthcare support system.

The summit ended with two panel sessions during which medical professionals responded to questions from participants and proffered solutions to challenges affecting preterm survival, maternal care and the long-term wellbeing of premature babies and their families.