Family Planning as a Catalyst for Change: Empowering Women and Communities in Nigeria
By Onyinye Oranezi, Nigeria Health Watch
Family planning in Nigeria is not just a target to meet; it is a transformative tool for empowering women, improving health outcomes, and fostering long-term prosperity. As conversations around FP2030 continue to evolve, a central message has emerged: family planning is about more than just numbers. It is about lives, giving women the ability to make choices, build stronger families, and contribute to the future of their communities.
At a recent convening, key discussions centred around moving beyond the focus on national targets and shifting towards real implementation that impacts women and girls at every level of society. While progress has been made in setting ambitious goals, translating these policies into meaningful action remains a pressing challenge. The urgency for this shift is especially critical as Nigeria works to strengthen its healthcare systems and improve access to essential family planning services.
The call for increased investment and collaboration resonated throughout the event. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu emphasised the government's current 1% allocation of the health budget to family planning, urging states to follow suit. This, he noted, is essential to ensure a coordinated effort in making family planning services available to every woman, no matter where she lives. “We must see this 1% as a starting point,” he stated, emphasising that the real work lies in creating sustainable, nationwide access to these vital services.
Achieving the FP2030 goals requires a collective effort, one that involves more than just government actors. Civil society, healthcare providers, development partners, and communities all play a crucial role. Engaging with women and girls at the grassroots level is key to ensuring they have access to the resources and knowledge needed to make informed choices about their reproductive health. This was a recurring theme throughout the discussions, with many participants stressing that community engagement should take precedence over high-level dialogues. Religious leaders and local influencers, for instance, need to be involved at the state and community levels to foster the acceptance and widespread use of family planning methods.
Family planning, at its core, empowers women. It allows them to take control of their health, pursue educational and economic opportunities, and contribute to building healthier, more resilient communities. The conversation around family planning, therefore, is not just about healthcare, it’s about social and economic development. Women who can plan their families are better equipped to break the cycle of poverty, invest in their children’s future, and improve their overall quality of life.
However, progress will only be achieved through a unified approach that involves everyone—governments, private sector actors, development partners, and communities alike. This collective effort must be underpinned by accountability and transparency, ensuring that family planning services reach the last mile. The commitment to family planning must not waver, as it holds the potential to transform the future of Nigeria’s women and the nation as a whole.
As discussions at the convening concluded, it became clear that while the challenges are significant, so too is the opportunity. With sustained investment, strategic collaboration, and an unwavering focus on the needs of women and communities, Nigeria is poised to advance its family planning agenda, ensuring that every woman can make choices that will positively impact her life and the lives of those around her.
Stay tuned for more community-driven, community-inspired reporting from the 8th Nigerian Family Planning Conference, taking place December 3–6, 2024.