Minimal attention has been placed on understanding the travel time of pregnant women to health facilities in emergency situations in African cities. Using an innovative approach that painstakingly recreated the journeys of pregnant women in Lagos, we showed that existing computer models do not reflect the realities of women on these journeys. Leveraging tools that allow integration of local and context-specific factors will make travel time estimation more relevant for supporting evidence-based service provision for maternal health.

LSE’s Adura Banke-Thomas argues that Nigeria needs to urgently rethink its policies towards the training and retention of doctors.