Jigawa PHCDA Executive Secretary Calls For Local Manufacturing Of Family Planning Commodities
By: Ahmad Aminu, Dutse
The Executive Secretary, Jigawa State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (PHDA), Dr Shehu Sambo, has called for the manufacturing of family planning commodities in Nigeria to make the product more accessible in view of increasing demand for the products.
Sambo said the World Health Organization and Federal Ministry of Health should break the monopoly of some foreign partners who are the only source of supplying the family planing commodities in Nigeria.
The executive secretary spoke during a high level transition alignment meeting aimed at institutionalising the work of The Challenge Initiative (TCI), which is winding down its activities in the state.
According to him, the present processes and procedures of accessing and supplying family planning commodities have been monopolised, thereby contributing to the snail movement in many states.
“I have a message to the lead team, I was in a national conference on family planning in 2024, I spoke about the commodity challenges and asked the panel that as a surgeon why is it that I can freely go to the market and buy anaesthetics other products, but it is difficult to buy family planning communities freely in the market. Why the monopoly?
“I asked, why there is only one supplier to feed the country? Why are we not allowed to manufacture.”
The executive secretary noted that budget of $45 million for the supply of the family planning commodities in Nigeria was not enough.
“What is $45 million for country like Nigeria? There is need to do something and provide a tangible amount to meet the needs by Nigerians,” he queried.
Sambo advised states to make adequate provision for the purchase of the commodities in order to supplement the federal government efforts “as women are in need of it”.
“As for us here in Jigawa, the state government is trying. Presently we have work plan on it, a memo has already been prepared and we are optimistic that His Excellency Governor Malam Umar Namadi would approve it when it is presented.”
He also observed that 27% target on family planning in Nigeria as captured in Vision Health Fits 2030 “is too small looking at the rate of the maternal mortality”.
In her speech, the Country Director of The Challenge Initiative (TCI) Dr. Taiwo Johnson, said the transition alignment meeting involving key stakeholders was to facilitate a structured and seamless transition of programme ownership to the state government, “ensuring continuity, scalability, and long-term integration of TCI’s impactful work beyond the programme’s timeline, which runs from October 2023 to May 2025”.
“This was followed by comprehensive presentations that highlighted critical thematic areas, including family planning indices and TCI coverage, advocacy efforts, demand generation, strategic pillars of TCI, social mobilization, service delivery, postpartum family planning (PPFP) uptake, coaching and capacity building, research, monitoring and evaluation, key learnings, implementation challenges, voices from the state, and compelling visual stories”.
According to her, the project conducted in 13 out of 27 local government areas in the state, recorded 9,861 postpartum family planning clients, carried out 421 social mobilization neighbourhood campaigns, 889 voluntary mobilization efforts, 82 inreaches, 36 service delivery outreaches, 120 association meetings, 234 key life event engagements, and 27 structured community dialogues.”
The Syndicate reports that the 13 local government areas covered by TCI include Malammadori, Dutse, Birnin Kudu, Babura, Ringim, Buji, Kafin Hausa, Jahun, Gagarawa, Yankwashi, Gwaram, Maigatari, and Kiyawa.
