COUNTRY director, Pathfinder Nigeria, Dr Amina Dorayi says Nigeria’s deliberate attempt at reducing its maternal deaths must include provision of quality family planning services backed up by evidence-based advocacy.
Dr Dorayi, who spoke at the opening of a three-day training of advocacy working groups on leadership and management from 10 states in Abuja, stated that family planning was one of the most important aspects of ensuring health and wellbeing of women and children.
According to her, investment in the health and wellbeing of women and children, including the girl-child, must be deliberate. She said the more women are able to plan their lives, the more they can contribute to the society.
On an overview of Nigeria’s FP2030 commitments, she stated that Nigeria and other countries did not meet up with the target of ensuring that 120 million more women access family planning by 2020.
She, however, said Nigeria and other countries were developing new goals for family planning with the aim of ensuring women and girls everywhere have the freedom and ability to live healthy lives, make their own informed decisions about using contraceptives, having children and participating as equals in society and its development.
According to her, “we, as a country, are in a commitment-making process because every country is supposed to make its own commitment and there are timelines.”
Mrs. Hauwa Usman, speaking on an overview of the Advanced Family Planning (AFP) projects supported by Pathfinder International, said AFP’s major foci are funding, policy and visibility through the media and FP champions.
According to her, the programme’s next priority will include sustainability for its FP advocacy working groups, budget advocacy for FP2030 partnership, adolescent and youth sexual reproductive health and universal healthcare.
Chairman, Advocacy Network for Mutual Development, Sheik Salaudeen Busairi urged participants at the training to utilise the knowledge gained from leadership and management training to ensure increased modern contraceptive prevalence rate through an increased feasibility on family planning benefits and services.
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