OVERHEARD by Alexander Chiejina: Experts Highlight Family Planning as Key to Empowerment, Development, and Addressing Disparities in Nigeria
By Alexander Chiejina, Nigeria Health Watch
During the 8th Nigerian Family Planning Conference, speakers shared key insights on the benefits of investments in family planning and maternal newborn health programming. Some of these speakers included Dr Ejike Oji, Chairman of the Association of the Advancement of the Family Planning (AAFP) and Dr. Funmi OlaOlorun, Senior Lecturer of Community Medicine, University of Ibadan.
Below are a few of their thoughts.
Dr Ejike Oji, Chairman of the Association of the Advancement of the Family Planning (AAFP)
“Family Planning is more than a health intervention as it is a transformative tool that empowers individuals, strengthens families, and accelerate notational development. It saves lives, reduces maternal and infant mortality, promotes gender equality and advances social economic progress.”
“If we want to accelerate progress, we must integrate family planning (FP) with maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH). The relationship between FP and MNCH is crucial, and integrating FP into MNCH programs is the direct tool we need to reduce mortality and meet our 2030 goals.”
“Every $1 invested in contraceptive services saves $3 in maternal and newborn healthcare costs by reducing unintended pregnancies. These savings unlock critical investments in education, infrastructure, and healthcare, fostering the conditions needed to achieve Nigeria’s demographic dividends.”
Dr. Funmi OlaOlorun, Senior Lecturer, Community Medicine, University of Ibadan
“Nigeria’s family planning vision for 2030 aims to achieve a modern contraceptive prevalence rate of 27%, up from the current 15%. Recent DHS & PMA studies show progress: Lagos increased from 17% to 26%, and Kano from 5% to 14% in a decade.”
“High unmet need for family planning and reliance on traditional methods must be addressed to ensure success.”
Stay tuned for more community-driven, community-inspired reporting from the 8th Nigerian Family Planning Conference, taking place December 3–6, 2024.