THE AFRICAN COURIER. Reporting Africa and its Diaspora! The African Courier is an international magazine published in Germany to report on Africa and the Diaspora African experience. The first issue of the bimonthly magazine appeared on the newsstands on 15 February 1998. The African Courier is a communication forum for European-African political, economic and cultural exchanges, and a voice for Africa in Europe.
Over 2 million Unintended Pregnancies & 735,000 Unsafe Abortions Prevented Since July 2017
A groundbreaking international report released today (12 November) shows over 1.7 million additional users of modern contraception in Nigeria since 2012, as the government works to expand family planning services. The report shows modern methods of contraception have prevented over 2 million unintended pregnancies and 735,000 unsafe abortions between July 2017 and July 2018.
Despite this progress, still only 13.8% of women aged 15-49 are using modern contraception in Nigeria, and one-in-four married women aged 15-49 have unmet need for modern contraception.
Beyond Nigeria, the report shows more women and girls than ever before are making the voluntary choice to use contraception in the world’s 69 lowest-income countries.
The report entitled FP2020: Catalyzing Collaboration has been produced by Family Planning 2020 (FP2020) – a global partnership that supports the rights of women and girls to freely decide whether, when, and how many children they want to have. The report for the first time ever includes new data on government spending on family planning in Nigeria. The report – available electronically [progress.familyplanning2020.org] shows:
In Nigeria:
- Domestic government spending on family planning of $8.5 million (2016) – compared to $19 million in Kenya and $8.1 million in Burkina Faso – see page 23 of report at above link.
- In Nigeria, among women aged 15-49, an estimated 13.8% or 6.2 million are using a modern method of contraception in 2018. This is 1,713,000 more than in 2012.
- The rate of modern contraceptive use among married women has increased to 12.2%.
- As a result of modern contraceptive use between July 2017 and July 2018:
○ 2,060,000 unintended pregnancies were prevented
○ 735,000 unsafe abortions were averted
○ 12,000 maternal deaths were averted
However, 24.8% of married women aged 15-49 have an unmet need for a modern method of contraception.
Globally:
- The number of women and girls using a modern method of contraception in the world’s 69 poorest countries had grown to more than 317 million, as of July 2018. This is 46 million more users than in 2012 (the year FP2020 was launched) – an increase that is around 30% greater than the historic trend.
- The use of modern contraceptives is growing the fastest in FP2020 countries in Africa: as of July 2018, 24% of women of reproductive age in these countries are using a modern method.
- “Rights-based family planning is a catalyst that unlocks the potential of girls and women in Nigeria and around the world. Our goal is to ensure that each one is able to exercise her basic rights to self-determination, health, dignity, and equality. This is a core strategy for countries to improve the health and well-being of their citizens and economy.
- Today said Beth Schlachter, Executive Director of Family Planning 2020
“Women represent half the global population, and there can be no healthy population globally or in Nigeria without reproductive health care. As we continue to build the framework for Universal Health Coverage (UHC), we must ensure access to full, free, voluntary contraception is included for all women and girls. As countries build UHC strategies, rights-based family planning and SRHR services must be integrated within primary health care systems.” , she added.
© African Media Agency (AMA)
