The 8th Nigeria Family Planning Conference has called on the Nigerian government to establish and adequately fund dedicated budget lines for family planning at all levels, in line with the National Council on Health’s approval.
Presenting the conference communiqué at a media roundtable in Abuja, Chairman of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the Association for the Advancement of Family Planning (AAFP), Dr Ejike Oji, emphasised the urgent need for increased domestic funding to sustain family planning services and meet Nigeria’s FP2030 commitments.
A major outcome of the conference, which took place from December 2 to 6, 2024, was the pledge by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, to push for legislation ensuring increased funding for family planning programmes.
Stakeholders at the event stressed the necessity of achieving a minimum 2% annual increase in the Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) to reach Nigeria’s 27% target by 2030.

Participants also urged religious and traditional leaders to integrate modern contraceptive education into faith teachings and challenge cultural norms that discourage smaller family sizes.
Additionally, the role of men in family planning decision-making was highlighted as crucial to the success of reproductive health initiatives.
Other recommendations included expanding reproductive health services to rural areas, strengthening data collection for family planning, and prioritising gender-based violence prevention through women’s empowerment initiatives.
The AAFP called on governments, NGOs, youth-led organisations, women-led groups, and civil society to implement the conference recommendations by 2027 to ensure equitable and sustainable family planning services.
Dr Oji expressed gratitude to key stakeholders, including the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, UNFPA, BMGF, FP2030, CIFF, and other development partners, for their support and contributions to the success of the conference.
Reaffirming AAFP’s commitment to advancing family planning policies, he urged immediate action to implement the recommendations, stressing their importance in achieving Nigeria’s reproductive health goals.
A 400-level student of Benue State University (BSU), Agbo Ene Mary, shared a personal story that underscored the importance of family planning in improving living conditions for families and society.
Reflecting on her attendance at the previous year’s conference, she revealed how it changed her perception of childbirth and family size. Coming from a family of seven children, she highlighted the financial struggles her parents faced in raising and educating them.
Agbo Ene also engaged her mother in a discussion on family planning, questioning why she gave birth to seven children. Her mother responded that “children are blessings from God,” but admitted that financial difficulties had made raising them a challenge.
She pointed to the rising number of children struggling on the streets in places like Mararaba and Keffi, explaining how many are forced into early labour or harmful lifestyles due to economic hardship.
“Some people think family planning means stopping childbirth entirely, but that’s not true. It’s about planning the number of children a family can properly care for,” she explained. “Spacing between births is also important.”
Her testimony reinforced the urgent need for family planning advocacy, highlighting its role in reducing poverty, improving education, and securing a better future for children in Nigeria.