Benjamin Kalu charges state governments to prioritize budgeting for family planning

By Emiene Erameh

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representative Benjamin Kalu has called on state governments to be inspired by federal governments commitment to allocate 1% of the health budget to Family Planning to replicate same at the state level.

Hononurable Kalu made this call at in his remarks at the opening ceremony of the 8th Nigeria Family Planning Conference held in Abuja.

Kalu who acknowledged that some level of progress has been made, however noted that challenges remain.

Kalu stressed the need to develop data-driven and evidence-based strategies informed by tools such as the 2023 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey to design interventions that are responsive to the unique needs of the country’s diverse population.

Others speakers also stressed the need to include men in FP campaigns noting that this will increase the uptake among women as men are the primary decision makers in many households.

With a contraceptive prevalence rate of 15% and unmet needs at 21%, disparities in access persist, particularly among marginalized communities it is expected that the 1% allocation to FP will help bridge the gap.