The United Nations Population Fund has reported that Nigeria may record 700,000 unintended pregnancies, which would further lead to 300,000 unplanned births and 300,000 unsafe abortions.
This was disclosed by the International body in an event to mark the 2023 World Population Day organised by the National Population Commission in Abuja on Tuesday.
During a panel discussion titled ‘Dialogue on financing and investment in family planning: meeting the growing demand of Nigerian women,’Technical Specialist, Maternal & Reproductive Health, UNDP, Dr Adeela Khan, stated that the funding gap for family planning was growing, rising from $25 million last year to $32 million in 2023.
According to her, the financial imbalance would result in 700,000 unwanted pregnancies, 300,000 unplanned births, and 300,000 unsafe abortions.
She said, “Family planning programme is largely dependent on funding, and that is dwindling funding. As far as 2022, there was a gap of $25m. This year, we are looking at a gap of $32m. What is very important about this gap is that if you are casting it, there will be 700,000 unintended pregnancies, which will result in approximately 300,000 unplanned births and 300,000 unsafe abortions.”
Khan did point out that the government was making some attempts through policies like the National Policy for Population and Sustainable Development in 2022 and a financial commitment to guaranteeing family planning.
She added, “The Nigerian government has been recognising the importance of investing in family planning.”
