According to the Africa Health Budget Network AHBN , Nigeria's long-term underfunding of family planning commodities is leading the country towards a deeper public health and economic crisis.
AHBN's Programme Delivery Lead and Francophone Liaison, Amina Haladu Mohammed, raised the alarm while delivering a presentation titled "Nigeria's Family Planning Commodities: Pills, Policies, and Promises" at the 9th Annual Health Conference of the Association of Nigeria Health Journalists ANHeJ in Abuja.
Mohammed said inconsistent investments in family planning have led to avoidable deaths, unsafe abortions, unmet health needs and major economic losses. She stressed that family planning commodities are not ordinary health products but "the backbone of progress," describing them as one of Nigeria's smartest financial investments.
"For every one dollar invested in family planning, Nigeria gains an estimated sixty-nine dollars in economic and social returns," she said. "Family planning empowers women, reduces maternal emergencies, prevents unintended pregnancies and strengthens the economy."
She painted a grim picture of the consequences of inadequate funding in 2024, attributing widespread shortages and erratic supply of contraceptives to serious public health outcomes.
According to her, more than 8,000 unintended pregnancies were recorded, over 300 unsafe abortions were linked directly to lack of access to contraception, at least 10,000 women died from preventable complications, and more than 200 million in potential health savings and economic gains were lost.
"These are not just numbers they represent women whose lives could have been saved and families spared from needless suffering," she told participants.
Mohammed expressed concern that the 2025 federal budget contains no direct allocation for contraceptive procurement, unlike previous years. She also said the government's annual 4 million commitment to the UNFPA Basket Fund, a pooled procurement mechanism, was missing.
"Failure to release committed funds does not only weaken national procurement cycles it threatens donor confidence," she warned. "When Nigeria fails to meet its obligations, development partners hesitate to provide support."
She noted that delayed and inconsistent funding has repeatedly undermined forecasting and caused nationwide stockouts. Between 2022 and 2023, she said, Nigeria missed out on the UNFPA Supplies Match Fund, losing about 1.5 million each year. In 2024, the country also forfeited approval for a 6 million tranche of commodities due to unmet financial commitments.
Despite the challenges, Mohammed acknowledged that recent government actions offered "a glimmer of hope."
She disclosed that the National Primary Health Care Development Agency NPHCDA plans to procure 6 million worth of family planning commodities using 2025 funding, with distribution planned across all 774 local government areas.
She also stated that the federal government has earmarked 4 million for family planning in 2025, with a similar amount projected for 2026. In addition, ten percent of the ?60 billion Medical Relief Fund under the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Health Value Chain has been reserved for family planning commodities.
"These steps are encouraging, but they are not enough to close the enormous gap," she said.
Mohammed noted that development partners continue to provide critical support but warned that donor funding cannot replace domestic investment. She cited a 25 million commodity commitment from the Bill Melinda Gates Foundation to the Lagos State Government over five years, and an opportunity to unlock an additional 2 million through UNFPA financing mechanisms.
Even after these contributions, she said Nigeria still faces an estimated 27 million funding shortfall for 2025, noting that only 4 million has been allocated for family planning activities in the 2025 budget, far below the recommended one percent of the national health budget.
She urged the federal government to prioritise domestic funding, strengthen procurement systems and honour existing commitments.
"Family planning saves lives, strengthens families and boosts national development. Nigeria cannot afford another year of zero releases, broken promises, and needless loss of lives," Mohammed said.
She called on policymakers, donors, civil society and journalists to sustain advocacy to ensure that access to family planning commodities becomes a national priority rather than an afterthought.
