Medical Practitioner urges collaboration to achieve goal

Dr Ejike Oji, the Chairman, Technical Management Committee, Association for the Advancement of Family Planning (AAFP), says Family Planning 2030 (FP2030) is key to achieving fertility reduction according to various countries’ priorities and resources.

Oji said in Abuja on Wednesday that FP2030 would offer countries the opportunities to make family planning feasible with their respective peculiarities and commitments.

He explained that the transition to 2030 was built on the target of 2020 which many counties, especially the developing ones failed to attain.

He said “with the way population is growing, especially in Nigeria with 12 per cent Contraceptive Prevalence Rate and Total Fertility Rate at 5.3, there is urgent need to reduce it to global standard of 2.5 per woman.

“FP2030 will offer ample opportunity to formulate policies within the ambit of peculiarities to make family planning feasible by 2030.

“And together, communities can create shared vision for 2030 that builds on progress achieved to date, adapts the partnership in response to the lessons of the first nine years,” he said.

Oji added that over the past nine years, governments, civil society multilateral organisations, donors, the private sector and the research community came together around an ambitious goal “to enable 120 million additional women and girls to use modern contraceptives
by 2020.”

He said progress was made with collaboration of stakeholders but more remained to be done in view of the 2030 goal.

He added that “countries like Nigeria can begin to launch their own anytime from now, ahead of 2030.”

According to him, the global family planning community agreed that the gains of the last nine years should be sustained by extending this pivotal partnership.

He noted that the pivotal partnership would be demonstrated through global consultation, with stakeholders from around the world aimed at providing input on the future of family planning.

Supreme reports that family planning stakeholders convened from June 28 to July 2 in Lagos for transition to FP2030.

FP2030 is a new partnership that distinguishes itself from FP2020 from the degree to which the ultimate shape of the partnership will be driven by the commitment-making process of government.