Experts have expressed concern about the possible increase in Nigeria's population, which could reach 450 million by 2050 if urgent action is not taken.
This concern was raised at the media roundtable ahead of the 8th Nigerian Family Planning Conference. The event was organized by the Association for the Advancement of Family Planning (AAFP) in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and Welfare and other family planning stakeholders in Abuja.
Speaking at the event, the Chairman, AAFP Management Committee, Ejike Oji, said Nigeria's fertility rate is quite high and there is a need to bring it down to about four per cent.
Mr Ejike, who is also the chairman of the local organizing committee of the conference, said that if the country continues at the current fertility rate, its population will almost double by 2050. “Every year, we add about four million of people to our population. . However, this increase is geometric, meaning the numbers will increase exponentially over time: four million this year, 4.2 million next year and potentially 10 million annually in the future,” he said. Mr. Oji referred to China and India, the two most important countries in the world. highly populated countries, as models for managing demographic growth.
“About 50 years ago, China and India were among the poorest nations. However, today China is the second largest economy in the world and India is growing rapidly.
“Both countries achieved this by reducing their fertility rates and investing in their youth,” he explained.
He highlighted that Nigeria has a similar opportunity to turn its demographic challenge into a demographic dividend by reducing fertility rates and prioritizing investments in health, education and economic empowerment of its young population.
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“If we miss this opportunity and fail to reduce our fertility rate to four percent by 2030, we will face a serious crisis,” he said.
Family planning
Ifesinachi Eze, a consultant at Amref International, said disruptions to family planning and reproductive health services in humanitarian settings leave women with FP needs unmet, as disruptions overload health systems and require collaborative solutions.
Ms. Eze said that to address these issues, USAID's Propel Adapt project is developing a private sector engagement guide for FP/RH supply chains in humanitarian settings.
“This guide, created in collaboration with FP2030, helps countries quickly assess private sector capacities, foster public-private collaborations, and strengthen FP/RH supply chains during emergencies,” he said.
He emphasized that collaboration is key to maximizing impact in the health sector, as no organization can achieve sustainable development alone.
He urged governments and the private sector to work together to create regulatory frameworks, financial incentives and infrastructure that allow the health sector to thrive.
The Director General of FP 2030 North, West, Central Africa Hub, Martin Migombano, reiterated that Nigeria's population can reach 450 million by 2050 due to the size of the country.
Migombano said about 28.5 percent of maternal mortality in the world actually occurs in Nigeria.
“So there is still a lot to do by our partners, religious leaders, governments, financial partners who are donors and others,” he said.
“Everyone is coming to the conference to recommit themselves and make sure that any investment that is made gets to the grassroots, where women should really have access to family planning.”
About the conference
Oji said the conference was themed “Maintaining commitments to family planning within the Nigerian Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative; Advancing progress towards achieving the FP2030 goals,” will re-emphasize the importance of family planning.
The conference, scheduled to be held from December 2 to 6, 2024, is also expected to provide a platform to discuss strategies to scale up family planning initiatives and address barriers such as financing, accessibility and cultural challenges.
“This conference is not just about dialogue, but about action. “We urge participants to share the discussions and results beyond this conference to drive impactful change,” he said.
FP2030 is a global partnership that supports the reproductive rights of women and girls. Its goal is to empower women and girls to live healthy lives and make informed decisions about contraceptive use. It also aims to accelerate the process of addressing obstacles that delay the progress of governments' commitments to family planning by strengthening results-oriented partnerships with stakeholders. and experts
Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, had missed the initial FP target set for 2020, in part due to the government's failure to fund the program, hampering progress. The FP 2020 goal was to enable 120 million more women and girls of reproductive age, worldwide, to have access to contraceptives by 2020. At the start of the target date, indicators of the FP 2020 goals show that Nigeria has only 12 percent of the MCPR for women.