UK, UNFPA worry over low family planning

Representatives of Britain, one of the biggest funders for family planning in Nigeria, and the United Nations Population Agency are in Nigeria to meet with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in efforts to renew and enhance support for family planning. Mark Lowcock, permanent secretary of UK’s Department for International Development and UNFPA executive director Babatunde Osotimehin […]

Representatives of Britain, one of the biggest funders for family planning in Nigeria, and the United Nations Population Agency are in Nigeria to meet with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in efforts to renew and enhance support for family planning.

Mark Lowcock, permanent secretary of UK’s Department for International Development and UNFPA executive director Babatunde Osotimehin are also scheduled to meet with the ministers of health, the FCT, foreign affairs, and budget and national planning over three days in Abuja.

The high-level comes amidst concern that contraceptive prevalence rate in Nigeria has remained around 10% since 2008, despite programmes to push it use over years, alarming donors, international partners and government.

"The current funding landscape indicates that DfID contributes about 50-60 per cent of total funding for contraceptives in the public health sector through UNFPA," the UN agency said in a statement Monday.

It said counterpart cash contribution by Nigeria has been inconsistent since 2013, and worries the funding gap foe contraceptives could get bigger next year as Nigeria is expected to increase its contraceptive prevalence rate to 36% by 2018.

Partners working in family planning have raised concern about a consistent lack of budget appropriation for family planning across Nigeria.

The European Union and the World Bank during the meetings will advocate for sustainable funding to procure contraceptives and train health workers to provide family planning services.