Muhammad Garba
Expanding access to basic reproductive healthcare services for every woman has been identified as a key strategy to reduce the high rate of child and maternal mortality and achieve sustainable safe motherhood in Nigeria.
This was highlighted in a statement issued on Friday by TCI/DevComs as a key message for International Safe Motherhood Day, made available through Ms. Eletu Suliyat, Program Officer of DevComs Network.
According to the statement, thousands of women in Nigeria die annually from pregnancy-related complications due to preventable causes, placing the country among those with the highest rates of maternal and child deaths in the world.
However, experts have pointed out that effective public awareness on reproductive health, starting from the right contraceptive choices, timely access to family planning services, antenatal and postnatal care, and full vaccination doses is crucial to addressing this challenge.
“As Nigeria celebrates the 2025 International Safe Motherhood Day, the statement notes that the country has seen significant improvements in public awareness and demand for family planning (childbirth spacing) services.
“At the heart of this progress, The Challenge Initiative (TCI), in partnership with over a dozen state governments, has provided a model that mobilizes local governments, community leaders, civil societies, and other critical stakeholders to advocate for family planning accessibility and uptake,” the statement reads.
Dr. Taiwo Johnson, Country Team Lead of TCI Nigeria, remarked, “What we are seeing in Nigeria today is a bold move from awareness to action, from promises to programs that truly save lives.”
A visit to health facilities across Jigawa State revealed a significant increase in demand for family planning services, often leaving facilities out of stock for nearly two weeks each month.
This contrasts sharply with previous years when family planning commodities would expire in storage due to low public awareness and utilization.
