Nigeria accounts for at least 25 percent of maternal deaths worldwide, the United Nations has said, drawing renewed attention to the risks women face during pregnancy and childbirth and the social and economic barriers that can prevent them from receiving timely care.

Beatrice Eyong, UN Women Country Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, disclosed the figure at the second annual National Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Network Conference in Abuja. She described maternal mortality as a persistent challenge that requires urgent and coordinated action.

The disparity in risk is stark. Eyong said a Nigerian woman faces a lifetime risk of dying from pregnancy-related complications of one in 22, compared with one in more than 4,000 in developed countries. With about eight million children born in Nigeria each year, the scale of pregnancy and childbirth makes access to safe and effective care a critical concern.

“No woman should sacrifice her life dying while giving birth. It shouldn’t happen, especially in this century, with all the technologies that we have,” Eyong said.

The conference, themed “Redefining SRHR: Gender Justice, Innovation and Collective Action”, examined how access to sexual and reproductive health services is shaped not only by healthcare provision but also by the circumstances in which women live. Eyong urged government, development partners and civil society organisations to move beyond policy declarations and address the underlying factors contributing to maternal deaths.

She identified mistreatment by health workers, harmful social norms and limited financial empowerment as barriers that can keep women from seeking or receiving care. These challenges, she said, reflect wider gender inequalities that must be addressed alongside improvements in health services.

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The discussion also highlighted the role of legal and economic support in protecting women’s rights. Dr Rommy Mom, President of Lawyers Alert, called for greater access to free legal services for women and other vulnerable groups who cannot afford representation. He said financial hardship often prevents people from pursuing justice, even when laws exist to protect them.

Young people’s access to reproductive health information and services was another focus. Minister of Youth Development Olawande Ayodele said young people could not fully realise their potential or participate meaningfully in governance and economic development without safe and equitable access to sexual and reproductive health information and services. He was represented by his Senior Special Assistant on Gender Matters, Kehinde Awujoola.

Minister of Health and Social Welfare Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate said the Federal Government recognised sexual and reproductive health and rights as integral to human dignity, equitable development and universal health coverage. Represented by John Uruakpa, Director of the ministry’s Health Promotion Division, Pate said improving reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health remained a priority in strengthening the health system.

Confidence Ezeala, Coordinator of the SRHR Movement in Nigeria, called for stronger collaboration among government, civil society organisations and development partners to improve access to sexual and reproductive health services. She also raised concerns about anti-rights narratives, conflict, climate-related displacement and technology-facilitated abuse, estimating that more than 70 million women and girls in Nigeria could be at risk of online abuse by 2027.

The conference underscored the need to connect health services with broader efforts to reduce gender-based barriers, improve access to justice, and ensure women can seek care safely and affordably.

Meiza Nigeria