Nigeria’s oil firm, Shell Petroleum Development of Nigeria Limited has embarked on an 18 month midwifery certification training of about 300 midwives in the Niger Delta.

The training is aimed at supporting the government’s effort at deploying more skilled heath workers in the rural communities.

The training which is sponsored by the company’s joint venture in collaboration with the governments of Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta, Imo, Abia and Akwa-Ibom states together with the New Partnership for Africa’s Development commenced in 2014 will produce skilled and motivated change agents in the region.

Report says 45 per cent of women are delivered of their babies with the help of unskilled birth attendants, thereby increasing the risk of maternal and infant mortality in such areas.

Source: Punch