In Nigeria, around 2 300 young children and 145 women die either during childbirth or shortly thereafter – every single day. According to Unicef, this ranks the West African country second-highest in terms of global child/maternal mortality rates.
In an effort to promote and raise awareness on maternal, newborn and infant health, Nigeria has hosted the first global midwifery conference, where the focus was on the important role midwives can play during and after the childbirth process.
To improve overall rates, the Nigerian government will continue to deploy midwives to all areas, while the UN Population Fund will donate training kits to selected midwifery schools to strengthen skills and support education.
