Midwife

What this life looks like

Every minute, a woman somewhere in Africa dies from a complication of pregnancy or childbirth that could have been prevented with a skilled birth attendant. The skilled midwife is the single most important intervention for reducing maternal mortality – more impactful than any drug, device, or programme. As a Midwife you provide care throughout pregnancy, labour, delivery, and the postnatal period. You monitor the health of both mother and baby, manage normal births, recognise and respond to complications, provide newborn care, support breastfeeding, offer family planning advice, and often serve as a woman's primary healthcare provider throughout her reproductive life. Midwifery is a profession of extraordinary responsibility and profound meaning. You are there for one of the most significant moments in a woman's life. And in Africa, where millions of women still give birth without any skilled attendant, the midwife is not just a healthcare professional – she is a lifesaving presence that millions of women and babies desperately need.

What she actually does

A Midwife conducts antenatal consultations, monitors foetal development, assesses risk factors in pregnancy, manages normal labour and delivery, performs essential newborn resuscitation and care, provides postnatal care for mothers and babies, offers breastfeeding support, provides family planning and contraception services, educates women and families on maternal and infant health, and refers complicated pregnancies and deliveries to obstetricians.

Where you can work

Why it matters in Africa

The WHO estimates that if 95 percent of women had access to a skilled midwife throughout pregnancy and childbirth, two thirds of all maternal and newborn deaths could be prevented. Africa has the highest maternal mortality ratio of any region in the world. Haemorrhage, infection, pre-eclampsia, and obstructed labour – all conditions that skilled midwives are trained to prevent, detect, and manage – are the leading killers. Every trained midwife deployed in an African community is directly saving lives.

Your pathway in

Biology and Chemistry at secondary school are essential. You can enter midwifery either directly through a Bachelor of Midwifery degree, typically three to four years, or by first qualifying as a nurse and then completing a midwifery specialisation. Both pathways are available in most African countries. After qualifying you register with your national nursing and midwifery council. Advanced midwifery roles including nurse-midwife practitioners who can manage more complex obstetric care are available through further training.

Skills you will need

Technical: Antenatal assessment and risk identification, labour management, delivery skills including assisted deliveries where trained, management of obstetric emergencies such as postpartum haemorrhage, newborn assessment and resuscitation, and postnatal care. Human: Ability to support women through fear, pain, and the intensity of labour, cultural sensitivity around childbirth practices, calm decisiveness in emergencies, and the patience and warmth to be a trusted companion through the entire childbearing journey. Digital tools: Electronic maternity records, partograph use for monitoring labour progress, ultrasound in settings where midwives are trained to use it, and telemedicine for remote midwifery consultation.

A woman in this field

Take your first step

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