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Addressing Maternal Mortality in Nigeria
- Emmanuella
- Nigeria
- February 1, 2026
Situation
Postpartum haemorrhage remains a leading cause of maternal mortality in Nigeria. To address this, the Smiles for Mothers program—implemented by a consortium including Solina, CHAI, and Co-Creation Hub—partnered with federal and state governments to strengthen PPH prevention and response systems, funded by MSD for Mothers.
Assignment
The goal was to reduce PPH-related maternal deaths by at least 20% in Lagos, Kano, and Niger by June 2022. This required supporting government-led system improvements through innovative, scalable solutions rooted in human-centred design.
Approach
Working with federal and state ministries, the consortium applied HCD to develop three key innovations, starting with the adoption of revised WHO uterotonic guidelines. Emmanuella led the user-centred design component, co-creating six prototypes focused on service delivery and supply chain optimisation. She also facilitated capacity building for over 50 government stakeholders, training them to apply desi
Result
The program introduced heat-stable carbetocin—transforming PPH prevention—and strengthened maternal health systems across the three states. Government teams adopted HCD as a practical problem-solving approach, enabling continuous innovation and improved maternal outcomes.