Lagos, Nigeria — The Senior medical and economic, and budget planning experts have raised concern over a $27.4 million funding gap threatening access to contraceptive commodities in Nigeria, warning that the shortfall could reverse gains made in family planning and reproductive health services across the country.
The experts said the deficit in funding has left millions of women of reproductive age without access to essential contraceptive options, increasing the risk of unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortions.
They called on the government to prioritise investment in family planning, stressing that bridging the funding gap is critical to reducing maternal mortality, achieving national population goals, and improving the overall health of women and families in Nigeria.
They made the call at a one-day Dissemination Programme on “The Impact of Family Planning on Socio-economic Development: New Evidence” organised by the Academy for Health Development and the Family Planning Impact Consortium on Thursday in Lagos.
Speaking at the event, a Professor of Community Medicine, Adesegun Fatusi, decried the contraceptive commodity funding gap in Nigeria, which is estimated to be $27.4 million as of March 2025.
He, however, advocated for improved investment in family planning services.
“An investment of 1 million US dollars would enable over 65,000 women and couples to receive modern contraceptive care, thereby averting 15,455 unintended pregnancies, 6,044 unplanned births, and 6,321 unsafe abortions as well as prevent the death of 83 women and girls,” Fatusi, who is the President of the Academy for Health Development, said.
Meanwhile, the don said, “The withdrawal of USAID has significantly reduced contraceptive availability in Nigeria”.
He added, “While the federal government has initiated some efforts towards closing the gaps created by USAID’s withdrawal from Nigeria’s health system and related development field, the picture is not clear yet.”
Fatusi also raised concerns about the future of Family Planning supplies in Nigeria, such as the use of the Presidential Initiative for unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain for contraceptive funding rather than the usual mechanism of the National Contraceptive Basket Fund.
According to him, the reported reduction in the Federal Government of Nigeria’s budget for FP from N2.225 billion in 2024 to N66.39 million in the 2025 budget, the delay on the part of the Federal Government to renew its co-financing agreement with UNFPA, among others, would further compromise contraceptive availability.
Also speaking, A past President, Population Association of Nigeria, Prof. Rhoda Mundi, urged the government at all levels to prioritise investment in family planning.
“I think they (the governments) should look at their commitment, review their commitments, and invest more in family planning, because we tend to have more advantages in investing than not investing in the family plan.
“So the government should invest more, not just at the federal level, at the state level, and even at the local government level,” Mundi, who is a member of the National Population Commission Advisory Group, said.
Meanwhile, new research evidence generated by the Family Planning Impact Consortium, and unveiled at the event, indicates that each additional $1 investment in family planning would yield $2 of cost savings in pregnancy-related and newborn care.
The evidence from the Consortium shows that investment in family planning contributes to the social and economic growth of countries, and family planning improves women’s likelihood of getting a paying job.
Despite some advancements recorded over the past decade, the report said,
“Nigeria’s family planning indicators remain suboptimal with the modern contraceptive prevalence rate still only 15%, the level of unmet contraceptive needs still as high as 21% and only 45% of FP demands being met by modern methods.”
The stakeholders recommended, among others, high-level advocacy and engagement with critical stakeholders to address challenges related to low budgetary allocation to FP and contraceptive commodity procurement and non-release of allocated funds.
Others include renewal of co-financing agreement with UNFPA by the federal government; increased efforts regarding the domestic mobilisation of resources for the family planning agenda from the private sector; support the academic and research community and institutions in Nigeria, particularly those with programmes in Demography and Economics, to embrace the challenge of studying the impact of family planning on social and economic development.
Experts at the event include, among others, a representative of the Director General, Nigeria Governors Forum, Dr Ahmad Abdulwahab; Dr Akin Akinbajo of UNFPA, a Development Economist and former Commissioner for Economic Planning, Budget and Development, Osun State, Prof Olalekan Yinusa, a former Director, Centre for Gender and Social Policy Studies, Obafemi Awolowo University, Prof Funmilayo Banjo, and officials of several State Ministries of Economic Planning.
Margret Oshinowo | August 8, 2025
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