Oyo, SFH push for evidence-based family planning reform

The Society for Family Health (SFH), working in partnership with the Oyo State Ministry of Health and partners, has presented key findings from the Research on the Scaling-up of the Hormonal Intrauterine Device in New and Emerging Markets (SHINE) project, calling for stronger policy action to improve access to modern contraception in Nigeria. The dissemination […]

The Society for Family Health (SFH), working in partnership with the Oyo State Ministry of Health and partners, has presented key findings from the Research on the Scaling-up of the Hormonal Intrauterine Device in New and Emerging Markets (SHINE) project, calling for stronger policy action to improve access to modern contraception in Nigeria.

The dissemination exercise, which was held on Friday at Jogor Hotel, Ibadan attracted senior government officials, health professionals, development partners, researchers, donor agencies, civil society actors and media representatives.

The SHINE project, implemented in Oyo, Nasarawa, Bauchi and Ebonyi States, focused on addressing persistent barriers limiting the uptake of modern contraceptives.

Findings from the initiative showed that intrauterine devices and other long-acting reversible methods remain underutilised, largely due to limited public awareness, insufficient provider training, and gaps in service availability across health facilities.

In her address, Pharm Jane Adizue, Assistant Practice Lead, representing SFH Management described the hormonal IUD as one of the most effective long-acting reversible contraceptive methods, also offering non-contraceptive health benefits such as reduced menstrual bleeding.

She praised Oyo State for what she described as consistent leadership and commitment to strengthening reproductive health services, noting that the state has emerged as a reference point for sub-national health innovation.

“Our relationship with Oyo State has remained both strategic and impactful. Together, we have implemented transformative interventions spanning family planning and reproductive health, malaria prevention and treatment, maternal and child health, adolescent health, primary healthcare strengthening, and several other critical public health priorities,” she said.

Adizue stressed that the SHINE project was designed not only to expand service delivery but also to generate actionable evidence to guide family planning programming in Nigeria and across sub-Saharan Africa.

She explained that the dissemination meeting marked a critical transition point from implementation to policy translation, urging stakeholders to ensure that findings are converted into practical reforms that strengthen health systems.

According to her, the evidence generated provides a strong foundation for accelerating the scale-up of the hormonal IUD in Oyo State and informing broader national strategies, donor investments and programme design.

She further noted that successful introduction of new health interventions depends not only on commodity availability, but also on health worker competence, community acceptance, and system readiness.

Highlighting a key milestone, she commended Oyo State’s decision to fully fund the training of healthcare workers on the hormonal IUD, describing it as a landmark achievement in domestic health investment.

“This effort led to the training of over 300 healthcare workers across all Local Government Areas in Oyo State. No other state has undertaken a state-funded Hormonal IUD capacity-building effort at this scale,” she said.

She added that this level of commitment demonstrates strong government ownership and sustainability, setting a model for other states to follow.

“This is what sustainability looks like—when government moves beyond policy statements to direct investment in human resources and system strengthening,” she added.

Adizue also acknowledged the contributions of healthcare workers, implementing partners, researchers, community leaders and donors, noting that the conclusion of the SHINE project should mark the beginning of intensified efforts to expand its impact.

In his remarks, the Executive Secretary of the Oyo State Primary Health Care Board, Dr Muideen Olatunji, emphasised that sustained progress in family planning services would depend heavily on continuous capacity development within the health sector.

He said ongoing collaboration among stakeholders remained essential for maintaining technical support and improving service delivery.

Dr Olatunji stressed that frontline health workers must receive regular training to keep pace with evolving health priorities, noting that effective service delivery depends on adequately skilled personnel.

He assured that data generated from the SHINE project will be properly aligned with government health priorities to ensure effective implementation and policy relevance.

Dr Olatunji commended development partners for their continued support, describing their involvement as critical to sustaining progress in the health sector.

He added that the forum provided an opportunity to review outcomes and strengthen the translation of evidence into actionable policy, assuring that existing infrastructure was capable of supporting implementation.

“We will continue to work hard to ensure success. This meeting provides us with an opportunity to review progress, examine how these outcomes can influence policy, and determine how best to implement them effectively. I can assure you that the necessary infrastructure is already in place to make this work,” he said.

Stakeholders at the meeting jointly emphasised the need for stronger collaboration between government agencies, development partners and healthcare adding that findings from the SHINE project are already influencing stronger government commitment to family planning in Oyo State.

Officials noted that the evidence generated through the Project is pushing the state toward policy changes in three key areas: capacity building, commodity security, and community engagement.