Stakeholders advocate improved contraceptive prevalence rate to achieve 2030 target

Stakeholders have advocated for a two per cent yearly increase in the Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) to reach the 27 per cent target by 2030.

They reached the consensus at the 8th National Family Planning Conference (NFPC) organised by the Association for the Advancement of Family Planning (AAFP) in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (FMoHSW) and various partners.

In a communique signed by the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee, Dr Ejike Orji, they called for increased efforts to reduce Nigeria’s high fertility rate and attendant demographic crisis, as well as governments’ commitment to family planning to achieving the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in the country.

The participants emphasised the need to engage influential scholars and religious leaders in the campaign for family planning; as well as the need for men to be at the forefront of the campaign in support of family planning since they are the major decision-makers in their respective homes.

The conference highlighted the need for development partners and stakeholders to sustain their support for reproductive healthcare services in the country including effective family planning services, information, and education.

They noted that unless efforts are increased to engage the interfaith/faith-based institutions in family planning, it may continue to be difficult to reduce faith-inclined barriers to accessing FP services.

They, however, lamented that inclusive family planning data in Nigeria is still plagued by irregular census, poor implementation and awareness of vital registration system, difficulty in generating data on cross-border trade, inadequate funding for research, and environmental challenges such as climate change.

The stakeholders said that it remains a challenge to maintain the availability of FP commodities at all levels in the public and private sectors, despite the Drug Revolving Fund (DRF).

The participants observed that the average youth even in the church is sexually active (the age of sexual debut in Nigeria is 15 years – NDHS), there is a need to provide them with Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research (SRH) counselling services, especially family planning.

They resolved that faith-based leaders should advocate for FP in ways that are more visible and practical, while the government should ensure review and update, if necessary, of existing faith-based advocacy policies and handbooks, religious leaders create avenues for the acceptance of modern contraceptive methods into religious teachings.

The participants also stressed the need to discourage traditional customs and norms that sustain large family preferences.

Government and partners must promote homegrown solutions for providing FP services (including identified and proven good practices), especially working with community leadership and the WDCs to ensure stronger male involvement in FP.

It was also resolved that youths and youth-led organisations be made aware of the FP2030 commitments given their role in driving advocacy and accountability in the society, as well as increase efforts to address Gender-Based Violence through investments in women’s empowerment and promote family planning at the grassroots.

The conference urged the government at all levels to establish budget lines and timely releases of funds for family planning and health promotion activities at all levels, adding that family planning and counselling services should be done in a non-directional/non-biased balanced manner and rights of the client should be always respected.

Other resolutions include ensuring inclusivity by integrating disability-friendly services in healthcare facilities, and the government addressing the issue of stock-outs, as well as ensuring the availability of a wide range of FP commodities, and addressing the funding gap.

It also recommended that the Federal Ministry of Education should ensure the inclusion of FP in the educational curriculum at all levels of education, and commendable the plan by FP2030 to set up an excellence centre that focused on FP and young people.

Major outcomes of the conference included pledges and commitments of about $4m by the organised private sector for the next six years till 2030, commitment by the National Assembly represented by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives to advocate to legislate for allocations to FP, and sub-national to allocate budget.