The Federal Government has inaugurated a high-level inter-ministerial platform to strengthen family planning, health and human capital development, with plans to begin local production of family planning commodities in Nigeria.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, inaugurated the platform in Abuja, describing the initiative as an important step towards reducing Nigeria’s reliance on imported family planning materials, creating jobs and retaining economic value within the country.
According to a statement signed by Ado Bako, Assistant Director, Information and Public Relations, to the Coordinating Minister, Pate said Nigeria’s estimated population of about 230 million, coupled with its predominantly youthful demographic, presented both an opportunity and a development challenge.
He said Nigeria’s population is projected to reach between 450 million and 500 million by 2050, making deliberate investment in health, education, skills and economic opportunities essential to ensuring that the growing population contributes to national development.
Pate said the Nigeria FP2030 High-Level Inter-Ministerial Platform on Family Planning, Health, Human Capital and National Development would adopt a life-course approach, addressing the needs of Nigerians from adolescence through adulthood, parenthood and old age.
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare will focus on strengthening health systems and access to essential services, while the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning will oversee development planning, human capital investment and resource allocation.
The Ministry of Finance, according to Pate, will help create the fiscal environment needed to translate investments in health and social sectors into greater productivity and economic growth.
The Ministries of Women Affairs, Education and Youth Development will also play roles in reproductive health, girls’ education, youth empowerment and access to health information.
Pate identified the National Population Commission as a key partner in population planning, fertility trends and demographic projections, while stressing the importance of primary healthcare services, particularly maternal, newborn and child health.
He also called for a stronger role for the National Orientation Agency in public awareness, citizen engagement and tackling misinformation that could undermine health interventions.
The Coordinating Minister said the platform must move beyond meetings to deliver concrete and measurable actions, including improved financing and implementation at state and local government levels.
Speaking at the inauguration, FP2030 West and Central Africa Managing Director, Dr Alain Damiba, commended the Federal Government for establishing the platform.
Damiba said family planning and health should not be treated as responsibilities of the health sector alone, describing them as critical components of national development.
He said empowering women and young people to make informed and voluntary reproductive health decisions could contribute to improved health outcomes, education, economic productivity and family wellbeing.
The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Daju Kachollom S. mni, also called for stronger collaboration among government ministries, departments and agencies.
Stakeholders from 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 initiative.
The Federal Government said coordinated action across sectors would be essential to improving health outcomes and harnessing Nigeria’s youthful population as a driver of sustainable economic development.
