Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
The federal government has announced plans to commence local production of family planning commodities as part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s healthcare value chain, reduce dependence on imports and improve access to reproductive health products across the country.
The government said the initiative would be implemented through a partnership between global pharmaceutical company, Bayer Pharmaceuticals, and a local manufacturer to produce family planning commodities in Nigeria, describing the move as a major milestone for the country’s pharmaceutical industry.
It said the initiative also forms part of broader efforts to build a healthier and more productive population capable of contributing more effectively to Nigeria’s economic development.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, disclosed this at the inauguration of a high-level meeting of Nigeria Inter-Ministerial Platform on Family Planning, Health, Human Capital and National Development held in Abuja, yesterday.
He said the company, to be located in Anambra State, would be the first of such facilities to commence production of family planning products not only in Nigeria but in the sub-Saharan African region.
According to the minister, the pharmacy firm was expected to help provide the needed family planning products that can accelerate the improvement of the country’s health and human development index
“I have to say that for the family planning community, we’re very pleased that there is now an advanced conversation and the plan is being constructed.
“For the first time, there will be a pharmaceutical entity able to produce family planning commodities in Nigeria in collaboration with Bayer, which will be the first, not only in Nigeria, but I believe in the sub-Saharan African region.
“And that’s a good plus because not only do we have to depend all the time on things being brought to us, we can produce them here, create jobs for our youth as well, and create country that is prosperous, that is peaceful, and that is people-oriented,” he added.
Speaking on the importance of the Inter-Ministerial Platform on Family Planning, the minister said one of the targets of administration was to turn Nigeria’s large population into productive assets that would help meet up with the vision of a prosperous, peaceful, and people-oriented country.
“That vision is not for granted. To actualise that vision, we need to do everything that we can to manifest the dividend of that population, to make sure it is a quality population, it’s a productive population. If we fail in doing that, that population that we will have can easily become a liability,” he said.
He explained the formation of the Inter-Ministerial platform was to ensure more effective collaboration among relevant line ministries and agencies including key partners and the subnational to achieve set goals in family planning.
While welcoming the inauguration of the collaborative platform, Coordinating Minister of Finance and Economy, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele, said that family planning is not only a public health intervention but also an important investment in Nigeria’s human capital, economic resilience, and sustainable development.
Oyedele added, “With family planning families can make informed reproductive health
investment in Nigeria’s human capital, economic resilience, improved educational outcomes, increased productivity, and sustainable development.
“Ensuring that individuals and families can make informed reproductive health choices contributes to healthier mothers and children, improved educational outcomes, increased productivity, and stronger communities.”
On his part, Managing Director FP2030 West and Central Africa Office, Dr. Alain Damiba, said that Nigeria’s leading role in the family planning campaign is quite significant because of its population and influence across the subregion.
Another key partner in the family planning intervention, the Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Dr. Aminu Yusuf, said that Nigeria’s population is both her greatest asset and greatest responsibility, noting that the success of family planning initiative will lead to a highly productive population.