Women's rights advocate, Toyin Saraki, has called on stakeholders to empower midwives in order to reduce maternal mortality in the country.

She added that increased access to midwives by 25 percent could reduce maternal mortality by half.

"Midwives - if given the right education, regulation, and midwifery associations within a global midwifery services framework - are a cost-effective solution for reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health (RMNCAH) in conflict and extreme poverty," Saraki said.

She said her organisation, Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA), was playing its part in addressing the skills gap facing many midwives and healthcare workers.

WBFA has partnered with Johnson & Johnson and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) to deliver a 'skills and drills' training package for Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (EmONC) in Kwara State.

It is anticipated this could reduce maternal mortality by up to 15 percent and stillbirth rates by up to 20 percent.

In order to facilitate the much needed health education for pregnant women living in conflict settings, the foundation recently commenced free antenatal education classes in IDP camps in the country, under its #MaternalMonday Campaign.

Utilising midwives who localise messages to mothers and enabling women to take an active role in their healthcare, WBFA's antenatal programmes take into account local context and social factors.

In an effort to improve maternal health in conflict-affected regions in Nigeria, the WBFA has provided pregnant women in Nigerian IDP camps with safe delivery kits. - Nigeria's mortality rate is 630 deaths/100 000 live births, one of the highest in the world.