The Federal Government has announced plans to commence the local production of family planning commodities as part of efforts to strengthen inter-ministerial coordination and turn Nigeria’s rapidly growing youthful population into an engine of sustainable economic development.
The government also inaugurated the Nigeria FP2030 High-Level Inter-Ministerial Platform on Family Planning, Health, Human Capital and National Development to coordinate policies and actions across relevant sectors.
The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Friday by the Assistant Director, Information and Public Relations, to the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, Ado Bako.
Speaking at the inauguration of the platform in Abuja, Pate described the move towards local production as a major milestone for Nigeria and the sub-Saharan African region.
He said producing family planning commodities locally would reduce the country’s dependence on imports, create jobs for young Nigerians and ensure that more economic value from the health sector remained within the country.
Pate said Nigeria’s large and predominantly youthful population represented one of its most valuable resources, but stressed that deliberate investments in health, education, skills development and empowerment were necessary to convert the demographic advantage into sustainable prosperity.
According to him, Nigeria currently has an estimated population of about 230 million and adds millions of people annually, with projections indicating that the figure could rise to between 450 million and 500 million by 2050.
He therefore called for sustained investment in human capital to ensure that the country’s expanding population is healthy, educated, skilled and economically productive.
The minister explained that the newly established platform would operate through a life-course approach, bringing together government institutions to address the needs of Nigerians from adolescence to adulthood, parenthood and old age.
He said each participating institution would have specific responsibilities towards achieving the platform’s objectives.
Pate noted that the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare would concentrate on strengthening the health system, expanding access to essential services and improving health and social welfare outcomes.
He said the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning would be responsible for integrating human capital investment into national development plans and ensuring effective allocation of resources.
The Minister also identified the Federal Ministry of Finance as central to creating the fiscal conditions needed to convert investments in health and other social sectors into improved productivity and economic growth.
He stressed that the Ministries of Women Affairs, Education and Youth Development also had crucial roles to play, particularly in advancing reproductive health, girls’ education, youth empowerment and access to reliable health information.
Pate further identified the National Population Commission as an important partner in population planning, monitoring fertility trends and demographic projections, as well as helping Nigeria maximise the benefits of its demographic dividend.
On primary healthcare, he said ensuring consistent access to essential maternal, newborn and child health services was critical, adding that reductions in child mortality could influence fertility decisions and enable families to plan the number of children they desire.
The minister also urged the National Orientation Agency to strengthen public enlightenment, community engagement and efforts to counter misinformation capable of frustrating health and development programmes.
Pate maintained that the success of the initiative would depend on a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach involving federal, state and local governments, civil society organisations, the private sector and development partners.
He cautioned that the platform must not become another forum for meetings without tangible outcomes, insisting that its activities should produce measurable improvements in financing, implementation and service delivery at the subnational level.
According to him, the National Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative already offers a framework for collaboration between the Federal Government, the 36 states, local governments and development partners, while the new platform would further strengthen coordination around family planning and wider human capital priorities.
Pate acknowledged recent improvements recorded in Nigeria’s Mini-Demographic and Health Survey but said the gains represented only an initial step, stressing the need for continued commitment to the release and utilisation of appropriated funds.
He urged state governments to increase their own investments in healthcare, family planning and human capital development, expressing optimism that stronger coordination would help build a healthier, more productive and prosperous population.
Also speaking at the event, the Managing Director of FP2030 West and Central Africa Office, Dr Alain Damiba, praised the Federal Government for creating the platform.
Damiba said the initiative would help place collaboration, accountability and evidence-based decision-making at the centre of Nigeria’s human capital development efforts.
He stressed that family planning and healthcare should not be regarded as responsibilities of the health sector alone, noting that both are closely connected to national development.
According to him, empowering women and young people to make informed and voluntary reproductive health decisions can produce wider benefits in education, economic productivity and the wellbeing of families and communities.
“Health, including family planning, is a smart investment in human capital and Nigeria’s future,” he said.
Damiba added that FP2030 regarded the platform as more than a coordination structure, describing it as an opportunity for government ministries to agree on common outcomes, strengthen accountability, monitor progress and jointly tackle barriers to human capital development.
In her welcome address, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Daju Kachollom S. mni, said improving the wellbeing of Nigerians required coordinated action across sectors, including population, education, finance, women affairs, economic planning and social protection.
Represented by the ministry’s Director of Family Health, Dr Ahmad Muhammad Ozi, Kachollom said better health outcomes would require aligned policies, coordinated investments, effective partnerships and shared accountability among Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
She said the platform would provide an avenue for stakeholders to better understand the relationship between family planning, stronger health systems, maternal and newborn health, human capital development and sustainable national growth.
Kachollom urged members to prioritise practical and measurable interventions capable of strengthening collaboration among relevant government institutions.
“Let us use this platform to move beyond discussions to concrete, coordinated and measurable actions. Let us leave this meeting with a renewed commitment to collaboration, shared responsibility and collective action towards achieving our national development aspirations,” she said.
Representatives of the Ministries of Youth Development, Women Affairs and Social Development, Finance, and Budget and Economic Planning, alongside the National Population Commission, National Primary Health Care Development Agency and civil society organisations, pledged their support for the newly inaugurated Nigeria FP2030 High-Level Inter-Ministerial Platform.
