This brief is a contribution to deliberations aiming at fostering the use of antenatal care (ANC) services by pregnant women in order to reach the optimum recommended by WHO (e.g., four prenatal visits, one per quarter including one just before delivery) within the framework of the Campaign for the Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMMA) in order to guarantee the critical ANC continuum that creates the environment conducive for reducing maternal and infant mortality. After the magnitude of the problem, its consequences and underlying factors, we describe three contextualized evidence-based options drawn from systematic reviews and considerations for their implementation. The specific aspects related to the quality of ANC services are to be addressed in a different brief.