The Ifakara Health Institute (IHI) is proud to be among the technical partners supporting a new five-year partnership between the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar and the Beginnings Fund, aimed at improving maternal and newborn health, preventing stillbirths, and strengthening healthcare services.

The partnership was officially launched on October 21, 2026, during the annual Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health and Nutrition (RMNCAHN) performance review meeting, bringing together government representatives, development partners, and health stakeholders.

The Zanzibar Investment Plan, covering May 2026 to April 2031, outlines US$9.6 million in approved and planned investments from the Beginnings Fund, alongside US$44.8 million in co-investment from the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar and grantee partners.

The initiative builds on the government's ongoing efforts to expand healthcare infrastructure, including the construction of new hospitals and health centres, and increase the availability of skilled health workers providing maternal and newborn care.

Strengthening maternal and newborn healthcare

Over the next five years, the partnership will support improvements in the quality of maternal and newborn healthcare across 63 health facilities in five priority districts in Unguja and Pemba.

Investments will focus on strengthening the health workforce, expanding access to proven and cost-effective healthcare interventions, improving the availability of essential medicines and equipment, and enhancing infrastructure, health data systems, and emergency referral services.

These efforts aim to ensure that more women have access to quality care during pregnancy and childbirth, while improving health outcomes for newborns and preventing avoidable deaths and stillbirths.

Ifakara's role in the partnership

Implementation of the investment plan will be led by Zanzibar's Ministry of Health, working alongside local and technical partners, including Ifakara Health Institute, Health Improvement Project Zanzibar (HIPZ), WAJAMAMA, and the Benjamin Mkapa Foundation.

Ifakara's participation reflects its continued commitment to supporting collaborative efforts that strengthen health systems and improve health outcomes for women and newborns.

Through this partnership, the Institute will contribute as a technical partner to the broader effort to improve maternal and newborn healthcare in Zanzibar, supporting a government-led approach aligned with national health priorities.

About the Beginnings Fund

The Beginnings Fund is a philanthropic initiative that brings together a coalition of funders to support African governments in accelerating progress towards ending preventable maternal and newborn deaths and stillbirths.

The Fund invests in the people, products, and systems needed to improve maternal and newborn care at scale, complementing existing government and partner investments rather than creating parallel programmes.

By 2031, the Beginnings Fund aims to prevent more than 300,000 preventable deaths and improve access to quality care for 34 million women and newborns across its first phase of country investments.

For Ifakara, the partnership presents another opportunity to contribute to collaborative efforts that strengthen healthcare delivery and advance better health outcomes for women, newborns, and communities.