March 2, 2022

The Federal Government will launch its Family Planning 2030 Commitment in March to enable it to contribute to the realisation of better, smaller, manageable families in the country.

Dr. Salma Anas-Kolo, the Director, Family Health, Federal Ministry of Health, said this in Abuja on Tuesday at a three-day online training for media practitioners on Reproductive, Maternal and Child Health.

Anas-Kolo said that the country would not make meaningful development without planned parenting as the nation had committed to the global family planning framework.

The Family Health director, therefore, said “in order to carry out the COVID-19 protocol, the launch of the Family Planning 2030 Commitment will be mainly online. We will share a virtual link where one can join us. The launch will take place on March 8 in Abuja.”

She noted that there were confusions and disruption in family planning services in the country in the first three months of COVID-19 in 2020, adding that government was putting more efforts to create awareness through traditional and religious leaders.

She said government planned to engage the traditional rulers with a focus on child spacing.

She added that “we want to partner the media on maternal and child mortality as we are recording larger numbers of maternal deaths than COVID-19, but most of them are not being reported.

“Every life is important and every death of a woman or child should be accounted for.”

Prof. Emmanuel Lufadeju, the National Coordinator, Rotary Action Group for Reproductive, Maternal and Child Health (RMCH), said the training was to inform sexually-active women and men on the importance of family planning.

Lufadeju said that the training was with support from Rotary International, the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, and the RMCH.

According to him, the training is to conduct a sensitisation for suitably qualified journalists and talk show hosts presenters based in Nigeria.

He said the training would address the benefits of using family planning products and services, where to get them, and how to use them.

He noted that “it is our hope that information spread by journalists through their countrywide reports will contribute to the realisation of better, smaller, manageable families, thereby helping Nigeria to harness a Demographic Transition.” (NAN)