Reimagining Maternal Health Equity: Building Systems That Leave No Mother Behind

By Tosin Clegg

In Ilorin West Local Government of Kwara State, where access to maternal health services remains a daily struggle, one public health educator has redefined how life-saving information reaches vulnerable women; and her works deserves particular mention especially on the occasion of this year’s maternal health awareness day. Ashiata Yetunde Mustapha, a rising leader in maternal health equity, has pioneered approaches that combine cultural sensitivity, behavioral insights, and digital access to improve maternal outcomes in high-risk, low-resource settings. From 2017 to 2022, she served as a public health strategist embedded in the Kwara State Ministry of Health, leading transformative outreach campaigns under Nigeria’s flagship Saving One Million Lives (SOML) initiative, supported by the World Bank. Her role went beyond frontline implementation. She helped redesign systems of care, introducing culturally tailored and data-informed strategies that significantly increased antenatal attendance, vaccine uptake, and postnatal follow-up. Health officials credit her methods with a 27% rise in antenatal clinic visits across hard-to-reach communities.

Her model—rooted in the use of indigenous languages, peer-to-peer micro-teaching, and engagement with faith leaders—addressed not just gaps in clinical knowledge but also the social and behavioral barriers that often prevent women from seeking timely care. In 2019, these efforts earned her a Local Government Merit Award for Excellence in Public Health. That same year, she co-developed a maternal health communication curriculum now used by multiple NGOs to train peer educators nationwide. The COVID-19 pandemic further revealed how digital divides deepen maternal health inequities. Anticipating these challenges, Mustapha pioneered remote maternal education initiatives between 2020 and 2022, using radio broadcasts, SMS reminders, and virtual training for frontline workers. These interventions boosted prenatal awareness, vaccine confidence, and postnatal engagement during national lockdowns. What began as an emergency response has since evolved into a scalable digital framework for maternal outreach, adaptable to fragile health systems worldwide.

Her work is gaining attention not only in Nigeria but also internationally. Experts point to its relevance for the United States, where maternal mortality rates continue to climb, particularly among Black, Indigenous, and rural women (49.5 deaths per 100,000 live births). Despite the U.S. investment in health technologies, systemic gaps in digital access, cultural competence, and health literacy leave many women disconnected from life-saving care. Mustapha’s framework directly aligns with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Blueprint for Advancing Health Equity through Health IT and the White House Strategy to Address the Maternal Health Crisis.

“She doesn’t just reach communities—she builds systems that outlive campaigns,” said Dr. Kafayah Jidda of the University of Ilorin. That systems-building ability, experts say, is what makes her approach a valuable template for both national and global policy directions. As maternal mortality continues to challenge health systems across continents, Ashiata Yetunde Mustapha’s field-tested innovations and policy insights are shaping a new conversation: one where no mother, in any ZIP code, is left behind in the digital transformation of healthcare.