Medical experts, including the former Vice Chancellor of the University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED), Ondo, Professor Adesegun Fatusi, have called for more investment in family planning. They urged the federal government and other agencies to play a bigger role in funding and supporting family planning services.
The experts raised concerns about a funding gap for contraceptive supplies in Nigeria, which is estimated at 27.4 million US dollars as of March 2025.
They spoke at a conference themed “The Impact of Family Planning on Socio-economic Development: New Evidence”, organized by the Academy for Health Development (AHEAD) and the Family Planning Impact Consortium. The experts noted that the withdrawal of USAID has greatly reduced the availability of contraceptives in Nigeria.
In a statement after the conference, the participants, drawn from universities and health institutions across the country, said the federal government had made some efforts to address the gap left by USAID’s withdrawal. However, they added that the government’s plan for solving the problem is still not very clear.
Professor Fatusi explained that there are new worries about how family planning supplies will be funded in the future. These concerns include the government’s decision to use the Presidential Initiative for unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain instead of the usual National Contraceptive Basket Fund. He also pointed out the drastic cut in the federal budget for family planning — from ₦2.225 billion in 2024 to only ₦66.39 million in 2025 — and delays in renewing the co-financing agreement with the UN Population Fund (UNFPA).
Fatusi, who is also President of AHEAD, said Nigeria must increase investment in family planning services. He explained that investing 1 million US dollars could help over 65,000 women and couples access modern contraceptives, preventing over 15,000 unintended pregnancies, more than 6,000 unplanned births, over 6,000 unsafe abortions, and saving the lives of at least 83 women and girls.
He added that new research by the Family Planning Impact Consortium shows that every extra dollar spent on family planning could save two dollars in pregnancy and newborn care costs. The research also shows that family planning helps a country grow socially and economically, and increases women’s chances of getting paid jobs.
Despite some progress in the past ten years, Nigeria’s family planning indicators are still poor. The modern contraceptive use rate is only 15 percent, while 21 percent of women still have unmet needs for contraceptives. Only 45 percent of family planning demand is met by modern methods.
The meeting recommended stronger advocacy and engagement with important stakeholders to address the low funding for family planning, ensure timely release of allocated funds, improve contraceptive procurement, and renew the UNFPA co-financing agreement.
Experts at the conference included Professor Rhoda Mundi, Dr. Akin Akinbajo of UNFPA, Dr. Ahmad Abdulwahab representing the Director General of the Nigeria Governors Forum, Professor Olalekan Yinusa (Development Economist and former Commissioner for Economic Planning, Budget, and Development in Osun State), Professor Funmilayo Banjo (Demographer and former Director at the Centre for Gender and Social Policy Studies, Obafemi Awolowo University), and officials from several State Ministries of Economic Planning.
