In Africa, one in every 16 women dies during child delivery and every minute, eight children die, including two newly born babies, from preventable disease.
The vast majority of Africa's annual 4.5 million newborn and child deaths and 265,000 maternal deaths are preventable, according to the organization.
The key solutions are providing prenatal and postnatal care, skilled attendance at birth and very low cost, proven preventive measures and treatments for the other major child killers like pneumonia, diarrhea and malaria.
"It doesn't take a vast amount of resources to make a major difference. It's not a matter of resources, it's a matter of political will," said Anyanwu, citing Malawi as an example that has been able to drastically reduce child deaths in recent years.
"We urge African leaders to demonstrate that will for the sake of mothers, children and their countries future," it said.
