The Federal Government of Nigeria has joined forces with the private sector to bridge the $29 million procurement funding gap for family planning commodities, with the aim of reducing maternal mortality.
Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, made this announcement during a High-Level Private Sector Forum on Family Planning in Lagos.
Pate highlighted that the cost of procurement for family planning products increased from $26.6 million in 2019 to $41.8 million in 2023. Over the same period, the procurement funding gap surged from $5.7 million to $29 million, making it challenging to fully supply family planning commodities to health facilities.
The coordinating minister emphasized the need for broad-based stakeholder engagement involving the public, social marketing, and the private sectors to effectively address the challenges facing Nigeria’s family planning program. He noted that while progress has been made, addressing funding challenges goes beyond the public sector.
The High-Level Private Sector Forum on Family Planning aims to secure commitments from the private sector, present family planning investment cases for feedback, and discuss plans to achieve the Family Planning target of 2030.
The forum is part of a broader effort to create a workable roadmap for joint and inclusive implementation to achieve a 27 per cent modern method contraceptive prevalence rate by 2030.
The minister called for strategies around innovative financing and technology-driven family planning programs, emphasizing the importance of local production of family planning commodities in Nigeria. He encouraged international manufacturers to partner with Nigerian companies to enhance local production.
Dr. Salma Anas, the Special Adviser to the President on Health, highlighted that the funding gap has caused challenges in family planning service provision, impacting maternal deaths and reproductive health rights of women.
She stressed the critical stage of Nigeria’s demographic transition and the need to follow it with a lower fertility rate to reap demographic dividends.
The collaboration between the Federal Government and the private sector in addressing the family planning gap reflects a coordinated effort to improve healthcare outcomes and reproductive health in the country.
