CSOs seek increased investment in adolescence health, family planning

Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have called for adequate funding and prioritisation of family planning in Nigeria.

The CSOs also sought increased investment in adolescence health to promote quality reproductive health among youth.

Speaking at the inaugural meeting of champions and advocacy in Abuja, Chairman, Management Committee, Dr. Ejike Orji, observed that family planning investment is key to national development, imploring government to support family health in commemoration of World Contraception Day (WCD).

Orji noted that family planning is the most important tool to deliberately plan for the future, if the country wants a prosperous one, adding that though government committed to 27 per cent modern contraceptive prevalence by 2020; but to date, the rate is only 12 per cent.

According to him, a key reason for not meeting the national target is the inadequacy of family planning financing, despite year-after-year federal and state governments allocate funds in annual budgets for contraceptive procurement, logistics and training, among others.

He said: “We believe that access to modern contraceptives gives families a chance to practise healthy timing between births, reduces the risk to mother, contributes to the survival of living children and the nation’s health. Child spacing will increase economic participation of women, improves mother’s lives and child survival.”   

Orji noted that the 2020-2024 National Family Planning Blueprint of the Family Health Department of the Federal Ministry set out government’s commitments, objectives, and vision for modern family planning service delivery, in line with the government’s family planning 2030 agenda.