The federal government is implementing strategic initiatives, including the Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction Innovation and Initiative in 33 states, to reduce mortality through community-driven solutions, improved primary healthcare, and better access to emergency care.

Health minister Ali Pate disclosed this at an event to celebrate the International Day of the Midwife 2026. Mr Pate said, including deploying 19,000+ skilled birth attendants, increasing midwifery training enrollment from 28,000 to over 110,000, and launching new policy documents to improve emergency care and reduce preventable deaths.

He said that the ministry had launched the Nigeria Strategic Direction for Midwifery 2025-2030 and a comprehensive national roadmap designed to strengthen midwifery education, expand workforce capacity, leadership, and service delivery processes.

Mr Pate said that, through the strategy, the federal government is expanding training institutions, increasing student intake into midwifery programmes, and standardising and modernising midwifery education to align with local best practices.

He said that the idea would also create additional employment opportunities and remove barriers to recruitment, and promote equitable deployment of midwives, especially to rural and underserved areas.

Mr Pate explained that the ministry had prioritised continuous professional development for midwives by investing in competency-based training and life-saving skills to improve outcomes for mothers and newborns.

“Furthermore, the ministry is targeting high-volume areas through the MAMII. One million more midwives, the theme for this year’s International Day of the Midwife’s celebration is appropriate and timely because it serves as a reminder of the critical shortage of midwives globally.

“The shortage does not exempt our health institutions, and there is a need to scale up the midwifery workforce. Midwifery is a critical strategy for improving maternal, newborn, and child health outcomes.

“Midwives play an indispensable role in safeguarding lives, providing care from pregnancy through childbirth and beyond. They remain at the front line of maternal and newborn healthcare delivery, particularly in underserved and rural communities,” added the health minister.

Mr Pate noted that no health system could provide optimal maternal and child health services without having an adequate number of skilled midwives.

(NAN)