The quality of midwifery education in six French-speaking sub-Saharan African countries

Introduction: The potential for midwifery to improve sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn and adolescent health is recognised, but midwives can only achieve this potential if they are properly educated. Methods: A mixed-methods evaluation of the quality of midwifery education in eleven French-speaking countries in Sub-Saharan Africa was conducted between 2013 and 2015, six of which contributed data toamulti-country analysis: Benin, Congo, Ivory Coast, Mali, Mauritania and Senegal. Results: Many positive aspects of midwifery education were highlighted, but there is a pervasive lack of equipment in schools and clinical placement sites. Gaps in teaching quality were also observed, such as weak lesson planning and tutors' interpersonal communication skills. Additionally, the quality of school management was variable. These issues, and others identified in the analysis, may to some extent explain why graduate midwives did not always perform well during antenatal consultations, especially when it came to basic, respectful care such as introducing oneself to the pregnant woman and explaining clearly what they are doing. Discussion: Creative solutions are needed to address the identified problems, particularly in settings where resources are constrained. Bringing all curricula into line with international recommendations is an important first step, after which schools could consider building more links with other schools, research institutions and ministries within and between countries, to broaden access to facilities, research and equipment which are lacking locally. Investment in ICT, the provision of clinical equipment and the training of tutors and supervisors should be priorities for the funds that are available.