Family Planning: Group targets 120m Nigerian women in 2020

Pathfinder International, a sexual and reproductive agency operating in Nigeria with focus  on Advance Family Planning, AFP advocacy has revealed her projection to capture 120 million women and girls of reproductive age on affordable and accessible family planning, FP services by the year 2020.

The agency’s Country Director, Dr. Farouq Jega disclosed this in Abuja during a three-day annual review and work planning meeting with the State Advocacy Working Groups and FP Coordinators from 12 AFP states.

According to Jega, the agency was saddled with main responsibility of advocating for better funding, policies and better enabling environment for FP in Nigeria.

He said the essence of the meeting was to assess the outcome and impact of activities of the 2019 as well as plan for  the next year which is going to be 8th year of the agency on the project.

“FP 2020 is part of global initiative and the goal is to increase access to an addition of  120 million women and girls in need of FP services but hindered by logistics.

“We are working with advocacy working  groups in 12 states of the Federation and they are here. What we are doing is to design a strategy for our advocacy engagement in the next year,” he stressed.

Jega also disclosed that the Pathfinder International was also working at national level to raise awareness about the importance of funding for FP,  adding that  the awareness is not limited  to 12 states, but beyond.

According to him, advocacy strategy is to engage with government, private sectors and other partner stakeholders to ensure  collective  provision for family planning services in the country.

Jega said the three tier of  Governments  are doing a lot on budgetary allocation but requires prompt release of  FP budgeted fund and bridge  funding gap for  high quality services.

“If we are able to successfully advocate and the government at all levels put in the required funds, obviously, better services will be provided and the FP commodities will be available sufficiently.

“FP is a very veritable development tool, it helps  health of the woman in the family and  also helps in economic development  and well being. These are what the country stands to gain if they make strategic investment in FP,” he further stressed.

Jega added  that the agency is committed  to the success of the  advocacy working group .

While saying that Nigeria has enough laws that backed FP, the Pathfinder country Director said what is important is to back those law with adequate budget line and create awareness in the minds of the Nigerians that FP is good  thing that improves  the well being of individuals and country at large.

He stressed the need to embark on aggressive enlightenment about the value of FP, and advise mother to embrace child spacing for improving Contraceptive prevalence rate.

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