Every seven minutes, a Nigerian woman is estimated to die from complications related to pregnancy or childbirth, making the country the global epicentre of maternal mortality. While postpartum haemorrhage remains the single biggest killer of mothers, a simple, low-cost intervention backed by the Gates Foundation is beginning to change that grim reality. From dramatically improving the early detection and treatment of excessive bleeding after childbirth to delivering encouraging results in Kano State, the E-MOTIVE initiative is emerging as a promising model in Nigeria’s fight to reduce preventable maternal deaths. This report examines how the evidence-based intervention is reshaping maternal healthcare and why experts believe it could help reverse one of the country’s most persistent public health crises. Chiemelie Ezeobi reports
Nigeria carries the heaviest maternal death burden of any country on earth. Global estimates put the country’s maternal mortality ratio at 1,047 deaths per 100,000 live births, with roughly 8,200 maternal deaths a year and a share of 28–29 per cent of all maternal deaths recorded worldwide, despite Nigeria holding only a small fraction of the global population.
