Stakeholders call for collaboration to transit Nigeria to Demographic Dividends

Stakeholders at the annual meeting of the Association for the
Advancement of Family Planning (AAFP), on Tuesday, called for stronger collaboration among actors and partners to transit the country to Demographic Dividends (DD).

The stakeholders, comprising members of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), development partners, Ministries, Departments and Agencies and the private sector, have a vision to see Nigeria where access to quality Family Planning (FP) information and services is guaranteed.

Dr Ejjke Oji, the Chairman of the Technical Management Committee of AAFP, said collective commitment was paramount to putting the country on the path to DD.

The demographic dividends was introduced to highlight the benefits of fertility decline, where the proportion of working people in the total population is high.

DD is the accelerated economic growth that can result from improved reproductive health, rapid decline in fertility, and subsequent shift in the age structure of a population, decreasing the ratio of dependents to working adults.

The AAFP chairman, therefore, said that “the 2021 AAFP annual stakeholders meeting is to review the gains of the 2020 Family Planning Conference and the way forward.”

Oji explained that it was important to bring into reality the country’s commitment to family planning goal for 2030.

“We should engage the thematic areas of service delivery, training, advocacy and research to transit the country truly to Demographic Dividends,” he said.

Oji, who reiterated the objective of the AAFP as ensuring that every person in Nigeria had access to quality family planning as a right, noted that the association would continue to engage the media on benefits of planning.

According to him, the country’s fertility rate is still high at 5.3 per cent, saying there is need to reduce it to transit to democratic dividends.

Alhaji Sani Jaba, the Chairman, AAFP Board of Trustees, also called on Nigerians to join hands to transit the country to demographic dividends.

Jaba, who was represented by Prof. Brian Adimma of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, said it was time to harness the demographic dividends through a spelt out plan and direction.

Mr Ben Akabueze, the Director General, Budget Office of the federation, identified the impediments of sustainable budgets for family planning.

Akabueze, who was represented by Prof. Olumide Ayodele, the Technical Adviser to the Director General, explained that crude oil price decline was one of the greatest challenges.

He expressed Federal Government’s commitment to family planning, adding that the country’s economy was highly vulnerable to crude oil shocks.

Mr Emma Agbede of FP-Cape, who spoke on “Pathways to Make AAFP a Hub for High Quality Data for FP”, emphasised the imperatives of using data in achieving the country’s commitment.

Agbede said that data was key in the engagement of stakeholders for achievable family planning goal for 2030.

Ms Margaret Edison, the Deputy Director, National Population Commission (NPC), called on the Federal Government and state governments to prioritise family planning in their various budgets.

Edison said that prioritisation of family planning products, girl-child education, fertility rate reduction and mortality reduction were necessary to truly achieve demographic dividends.