By Chioma Obinna

With a population of over 30 million, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in collaboration with the Gates Foundation, on Tuesday officially handed over family planning commodities worth $5 million annually to the Lagos State government as part of a $25 million five-year initiative.
The Gates Foundation and UNFPA Family Planning Commodities investment is a 5-year, $25 million USD project aimed at bridging the family planning commodity supply gap in Lagos, Kaduna, and Kano States. The project will entail an annual procurement of $5 million USD for the three states throughout its duration.
Handing over some of the commodities which have already arrived in Nigeria during the ceremony in Lagos, the Representative of UNFPA, who is also the Head of Liaison Office of UNFPA, Ms. Abigail Msemburi, emphasised the importance of family planning in managing Lagos’ rapidly growing population.
She underscored the need for sustained efforts.
“The demand for family planning commodities in Lagos State far exceeds supply. This initiative is crucial in bridging that gap. However, we need to continue advocating for government ownership and increased investment to ensure sustainability beyond donor support,” she said.
Msemburi, said: “UNFPA is proud to be partnering with the Lagos state government and the Gates Foundation to ensure all women and all our girls, especially the hard to reach have access to family planning services.”
Msemburi, further appreciated the Lagos State government for implementing its commitment to family planning including the procurement of the most recent commitment of N53 million, describing it as a huge commodity and a big milestone.
“Lagos state is slowly and surely becoming one of those states that will become one of the showcase states where we will be able to showcase the sustained benefits of domestic funding to family planning.
“The demand for family planning commodities in Lagos state exceeds supply, stressing the importance of additional funding and partnerships. According to the most recent statistics, we still have the amazement at about 12.6 per cent. This is way too high. The national basket fund is still insufficient to meet the national family planning commodity needs.
Thus making this initiative we are gathered here a very crucial component in bridging the supply gap for the last mile distribution which ensures commodities reach the intended beneficiaries. Lagos state is conducting only three or four of the intended six cycles recommended cycles which are needed for the uninterrupted supply and availability of commodities.
She said as partners, there are a lot of works they need to do. She called on the Lagos state government for continued and increased investment in family planning to support the procurement of commodities to ensure consistent supply and scale up of the last mile distribution to meet the recommended six cycles annually as well as advocate for continued government ownership of family planning programmes to ensure sustainability beyond donor support.
Speaking, the Special Advisor to the Governor on Health, Dr. OluKemi Ogunyemi expressed her gratitude, stating that Family planning is about empowering women and giving them the choice to decide when and how to start a family.
Ogunyemi said the support ensures that every family planning need is met without cost to the beneficiaries.
The special adviser who said family planning was not just for ladies and girls said the handover illustrates the state’s partnerships with organisations like the Gates Foundation and UNFPA.
She acknowledged the difficulties the state had last year with family planning commodities stockouts, adding that, the handover by Gates Foundation and UNFPA is a way of helping, and assisting the government.
Noting that over 3,000 people migrate to Lagos every day according IOM data, she said family planning goes more than family planning but helps to improve indices for maternal and infant mortality rates.
“It ensures that women space out their births, their pregnancies. It’s also helping us to reduce maternal mortality rates as well. We still have to go out there and advocate and make people more aware that they have to have family planning services.”
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary who was represented by the Director of Family Health and Nutrition, Dr Folashade Oludara, stated that they are going to have$ 5 million US dollars worth of family planning commodities every year.
“Lagos State has over 31 million people, with 22 per cent being women of reproductive age. That’s almost seven million women. When you factor in sexually active men, the numbers double. Without family planning, these women could be pregnant three to four times over, leading to unplanned growth and strain on resources,” she said.
She highlighted the state’s proactive approach to addressing the challenges. “We’ve been working tirelessly to match the supply gaps from the federal government, but the influx of people due to insurgency and economic migration has made it challenging,” she noted.
Oludara, expressed optimism: “This partnership enables us to reach both public and private healthcare providers, covering nearly 95 per cent of the population that accesses family planning services. With this, we hope to reduce maternal mortality rates and improve overall reproductive health,” she remarked.