Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) meeting at the 13th Population Association of Nigeria (PAN) Annual Conference have called on the Federal Government to increase the budget allocated to family planning commodities from zero per cent to one per cent.
They made the call during a panel discussion tagged ‘Navigating Challenges: CSOs Perspective on Funding Cuts for Family Planning in Nigeria’, organized by the Development Research and Projects Center (dRPC) on the sidelines of the population growth, demographic challenges, and national development conference in Abuja.
Leading the panel discussion, Director of Projects, dRPC, Dr. Stanley Ukpai, said that family planning funding in Nigeria has been marked by fluctuating allocations and a consistently low percentage of the overall health budget.
He said, “From 2018 to 2025, the allocated amounts have varied significantly, peaking at ₦2.225 billion in 2024 (0.14 per cent of the health budget) and dropping to the lowest point of ₦36.89 million in 2021 (0.00 per cent).”
Ukpai explained that on January 20th, 2025, the US government issued a stop-work order on all its development aid programmes, and this support has far-reaching implications for health programmes such as family planning, HIV/AIDS, and dual protection, among others.
He noted that even though the Nigerian government increased the national budget from an estimated ₦54.2 trillion to ₦59.77 trillion, service-wide gaps to address the shortfall created by the US government’s suspension of its intervention in Nigeria still exist.
“As stakeholders in the population and reproductive health landscape, CSOs play a vital role in advocating for policy changes, mobilizing community support, and ensuring the delivery of family planning services,” he pointed out.
Executive member of the Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of Nigeria (SOGON), Dr. Fatima Miriami, pointed out that family planning is the foundation of every society because it reflects on the quality of the mother and the child, and by implication, it reflects on the quality of the family and the entire society.
She added, “It is a direct reflection of the quality of any nation, and if we look at the budget of what was spent on family planning last year, 2024, it was just 0.14 per cent of the entire health budget.
“₦200 million came from the country, and ₦2 billion came from outside (from donors like USAID). Now, if that funding is stopped, you can imagine how much we are affected this year.
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“This year, what has been allocated to family planning services is just ₦66 million. How far will ₦66 million go?”
Focal Person, Association for the Advancement of Family Planning (AAFP), Dr. Ejike Orji, pointed out that poor funding of family planning commodities would continue to impact national planning and development because it affects the standard of living, such as access to basic amenities, as well as employment.
He said, “If you check the funding of the budget this year, how much was put in for family planning? You won’t see any reasonable amount. However, we must continue to advocate in a way that makes sense.
“Family planning counselling services should be done in a non-directional and non-biased manner. The pros and cons should be given to the women, and then let the women make their decisions on the type of family planning services they should take.
“There is a need to encourage male discussions on family planning, since they are largely the decision-makers in society. And then finally, faith-based traditional advocacy leaders should engage with various communities to advocate for family planning in a more visible way.”
The Chief Executive Officer of Afrihealth Oponet Association (AHOA), Dr. Uzodinma Adirieje, additionally said that family planning is a national development issue and not just a health issue because it is a determinant of the output of citizens; therefore, it has a great impact on the ability of any nation to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“I want to emphasize the fact that 0% of this year’s budget was allocated for family planning.
“Now, what it means, practically speaking, with due respect, is that Nigeria, and especially the Federal Ministry of Health, for whatever reason, has not prioritized family planning. I think that should change.
“The theme for this meeting is population growth, demographic challenges, and national development. If you change the theme of this conference to family planning, demographic challenges, and national development,we will still be talking about this,” he added.
