By Deborah Nnamdi
Nigeria is facing a $27.4 million funding shortfall for essential contraceptives, following the withdrawal of support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)—a move experts warn could have severe consequences for women’s health and national development.
At a recent dissemination event titled “The Impact of Family Planning on Socio-Economic Development: New Evidence”, convened by the Academy for Health Development (AHEAD) and the Family Planning Impact Consortium, stakeholders raised alarm over the declining availability of contraceptives in the country.
Professor Adesegun Fatusi, President of AHEAD and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED), Ondo State, stressed the urgent need for increased domestic investment in family planning. He warned that the USAID exit has left critical gaps in contraceptive supply chains.
According to Fatusi, just $1 million in family planning investment could provide modern contraceptive care to over 65,000 women and couples, preventing approximately 15,455 unintended pregnancies, 6,321 unsafe abortions, 6,044 unplanned births, and saving 83 lives.
Despite some efforts by the Federal Government to fill the gap, concerns remain. Experts criticized a significant cut in the 2025 family planning budget—from N2.225 billion in 2024 to just N66.39 million—and delays in renewing Nigeria’s co-financing agreement with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
There is also growing uncertainty over the proposed shift from the National Contraceptive Basket Fund to the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC) as a funding mechanism for contraceptives.
New research from the Family Planning Impact Consortium revealed that each additional $1 invested in family planning could generate $2 in savings on pregnancy-related and newborn healthcare. The study also linked access to family planning with increased female workforce participation, underscoring the economic benefits of robust reproductive health systems.
Nigeria’s family planning indicators remain troubling, with a modern contraceptive prevalence rate of just 15%, an unmet need rate of 21%, and only 45% of demand being met through modern methods.
The gathering concluded with strong calls for: High-level advocacy to reverse funding cuts, renewal of the UNFPA co-financing agreement, greater private sector engagement, and strengthened support for research institutions studying family planning’s socio-economic impacts.
Among the experts present were Professor Rhoda Mundi (former President of the Population Association of Nigeria), Dr. Akin Akinbajo (UNFPA), Dr. Ahmad Abdulwahab (Nigeria Governors Forum), Professor Olalekan Yinusa (development economist), and Professor Funmilayo Banjo (demographer and gender policy expert), alongside state economic planning officials.
