Nigeria Faces Midwifery Crisis as Maternal, Newborn Survival at Risk
The Federal Government has announced a new national strategy aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s midwifery workforce as part of wider efforts to improve maternal and newborn survival rates and enhance child protection outcomes.
The initiative, titled the Nigeria Strategic Direction for Midwifery 2025–2030, was launched in Abuja during the 2026 International Day of the Midwife. Officials say the plan is a response to an estimated shortage of about 30,000 midwives, a gap that continues to affect access to safe childbirth services, particularly in rural and underserved communities.
From a safeguarding perspective, the shortage of skilled birth attendants is a critical child protection concern, as inadequate maternal care significantly increases the risk of preventable newborn deaths and complications during delivery. Strengthening midwifery services is therefore not only a health system priority but also a key measure for protecting the right of children to survive and thrive from birth.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, said the strategy will expand training capacity, increase student intake, and improve the quality of midwifery education. He added that better deployment systems will help ensure that more skilled professionals are available in high-risk areas where maternal and infant mortality rates remain highest.
Health officials also stressed that improving workforce numbers must go hand in hand with creating safe and supportive working conditions. Experts noted that midwives play a frontline safeguarding role, often serving as the first point of contact in identifying risks to mothers and newborns during pregnancy, childbirth, and the early postnatal period.
Stakeholders, including the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, warned that Nigeria continues to carry a disproportionately high burden of global maternal and infant deaths, with one in four maternal deaths worldwide occurring in the country. They emphasized that addressing workforce shortages is essential to reducing preventable harm and improving child survival outcomes.
The government’s plan also includes competency-based training, continuous professional development, and targeted interventions in high-burden communities. Experts say these reforms, if effectively implemented, could significantly strengthen early-life safeguarding by ensuring safer births and improved postnatal care.
Child protection and health specialists agree that investing in midwifery is a direct investment in child survival. They argue that reducing maternal deaths and birth complications is one of the most effective ways to prevent early childhood harm and improve long-term outcomes for children.
However, they caution that success will depend on sustained political commitment, adequate funding, and consistent implementation across all levels of the health system.
