Nigeria’s population will double in 2030
Nigeria’s health minister, Prof. Isaac Adewole, has revealed the country needs the sum of $652 million over the next five years to achieve high-impact family planning. He disclosed this while speaking at the inaugural Annual Memorial Lecture on Prof. Babatunde Osotimehin, held in Abuja.
Adewole also enjoined state governments to review their population policy and implementation approaches with a view to encouraging families to see the need for moderate family size.
According to him, with over 190 million people and still counting, vigorous awareness creation about the essence of moderate family size, especially in rural areas, had become necessary.
He attributed Nigeria’s rapid population growth rate to the high Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 5.5 children per woman and low contraceptive prevalence rate of 15 percent based on the 2013 Demographic and Health Survey (2013 NDHS) pregnancies.
With the current annual growth rate of 3.2 per cent, Nigeria is on track to become the third most populous country in the world by 2020, with the population doubling by 2030.
Current efforts
Adewole revealed the health ministry has made efforts to increase domestic financing for the family planning programme through interventions like payment of $3 million in 2017 as counterpart funds for procurement of contraceptives and $4 million annually from 2018 to 2020.
He stressed the need for State Governors to invest in Family Planning program to ensure that Each State would take advantage of the youthful population towards achieving demographic dividend between 2030 and 2050.
He mentioned key areas of Focus in terms of investment like, improving access to quality basic, secondary and post-secondary for girls and boys, reduce maternal and child deaths and ensure all unmet needs for reproductive health commodities are met among others.
To this end, the minister appealed to all the Stakeholders, from the Federal, State Governments, the private sector, traditional leaders, health care workers, community based organisation and implementing partners to help make the changes that would translate into positive contribution to Nigeria’s economic development.
He added ‘’ I will continue to advocate to states to implement youth friendly services and to ensure improved investment in our youths and reduction of unnecessary maternal deaths attributable to adolescent pregnancies and unsafe abortions’’.
He emphasized that ‘’these are the cardinal issues that Professor Babatunde Osotimehin stood for while on this planet, we can guarantee an enduring legacy of a brighter future for all our women ,girls and young ones by staying focused and on track’’, he added.