UNFPA: One in Four Women Who Die During Childbirth Worldwide Are in Nigeria
Mirian Gom 
UNFPA Nigeria Country Representative, Muriel Mafico
ABUJA, Nigeria – Nigeria accounts for nearly one in four maternal deaths globally, making it one of the world’s deadliest countries for pregnancy and childbirth, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has warned.
UNFPA Nigeria Country Representative, Muriel Mafico, disclosed this in an exclusive interview with Africa Health Report on Friday in Abuja, describing the country’s maternal mortality burden as “an issue of grave concern.”
“Nigeria has almost 24 or 25 percent of the global maternal mortality burden. So that just goes to show that one in every four women who die during childbirth, before childbirth or after childbirth, do so here in Nigeria, and that is why it is an issue of grave concern,” Mafico said.
She attributed the high number of maternal deaths to a combination of delayed healthcare seeking, poverty, home deliveries without skilled birth attendants, weak primary healthcare systems, chronic underinvestment and shortages of trained health workers. According to her, many women fail to recognise danger signs during pregnancy, while others cannot afford treatment or reach health facilities in time.
“Even when the services are there, we need people to demand and use the services. Some women seek care too late, some face financial barriers, while others cannot access health facilities on time,” she said.
Mafico said Nigeria also faces a shortage of about 30,000 midwives, worsened by the migration of health workers to other countries. While noting that professionals have the right to seek opportunities abroad, she said the exodus has deepened workforce shortages, particularly in rural communities where access to skilled maternal healthcare remains limited.
Despite the challenges, she said Nigeria is making gradual progress through increased government investment in healthcare, expansion of health insurance coverage, strengthening of primary healthcare services and the training of more midwives and nurses. However, she stressed that the pace of improvement remains inadequate.
“The progress is there, but it is not moving fast enough. We need programmes to be implemented at scale, at speed and sustained through reliable domestic resources if we are to significantly reduce maternal deaths,” Mafico said.
About the Author
Hussaini Ibrahim 
Korede Abdullah 
