The World Health Organization (WHO) recently warned that global health is at risk as 70 percent of countries struggle with funding cuts. The affected countries are experiencing disruptions to health services due to recent funding cuts. These cuts are negatively impacting various health system functions, including emergency preparedness, public health surveillance, and service provision.
WHO noted that funding cuts are causing severe disruptions to health services, including shortages in medicines and supplies, and affecting the health workforce. WHO called for international support to strengthen healthcare infrastructure, especially in low- and lower-middle-income countries.
WHO warned of potentially prolonged effects on global health systems due to these disruptions. WHO urged countries to increase or reallocate funding from domestic and alternative sources to address the gaps. But, surprisingly, instead of yielding to the advice of the World Health Organization, the Nigerian government resolved to go contrary.
The Nigerian government reduced its family planning budget for 2025, raising concerns about how the country will sustain access to reproductive health services for millions of citizens amidst a global decline in donor funding.
Family planning empowers individuals and couples to make informed decisions about their reproductive health, including when and how many children they want to have. It involves using contraceptive methods, addressing infertility, and providing comprehensive reproductive health information and services. The main goal is to enable individuals to achieve their desired family size and spacing of pregnancies, ultimately promoting the health and well-being of all family members.
Family planning is a fundamental aspect of reproductive health, providing access to contraception, reproductive health information, and counseling services.
In the 2025 budget of Nigeria, N66.39 million was allocated for family planning, a 97 percent decrease from the N2.2 billion allocated in 2024.
This budget cut comes as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) froze funding support for key health initiatives in developing countries, including family planning programmes in Nigeria. The funding pause followed a directive from President Donald Trump shortly after his inauguration in January 2025.
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The Nigerian government has not given any official reason for cutting funding for family planning. This decision by the administration of President Bola Tinubu is causing apprehension among citizens, considering the impact on women who are already facing challenges accessing essential reproductive health services.
For a country with one of the highest maternal death rates in the world, with many of the deaths preventable with timely access to contraception and quality care, this budget reduction could reverse the progress made over the years.
The United Nations recently warned that global reductions in health aid could reverse decades of progress in tackling maternal mortality. In a report titled Trends in Maternal Mortality, released ahead of the 2025 World Health Day, the UN attributed the 40 per cent global decline in maternal deaths between 2000 and 2023 to improved access to critical health services.
Nigeria, according to the report, had the highest estimated number of maternal deaths in 2020, accounting for more than one-quarter (28.5 per cent) of the global total, with approximately 82,000 maternal deaths recorded.
Health experts have repeatedly stressed the importance of sustained domestic investment in reproductive health as a way to manage Nigeria’s growing population and reduce preventable maternal deaths.
Nigeria’s 2025 budget totals N54.9 trillion, with N2.38 trillion dedicated to the health sector, which amounts to 4.33 per cent of the budget. Within this health allocation, only N66.39 million (0.0028 per cent) was earmarked for family planning, which falls far below one percent of the health budget.
This underfunding of family planning raises concerns about Nigeria’s ability to achieve its Family Planning 2030 (FP2030) targets, which aim for a 27 per cent modern contraceptive prevalence rate (mCPR) by 2030.
Nigeria has depended heavily on foreign donors to support its family planning programmes for years. Organisations like the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the USAID played key roles in supplying contraceptives and funding training and outreach activities. UNFPA supports family planning in 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory, while USAID partnered with community groups across all 36 states.
However, this dependence comes with its risks. In 2021, the United Kingdom withdrew its annual funding of about £3 million from Nigeria’s family planning basket fund. Then, in January 2025, USAID paused funding. Based on the US Foreign Assistance website data, the United States disbursed approximately $1.02 billion in foreign assistance to Nigeria in 2023.
A significant portion of US assistance to Nigeria historically supported health initiatives, including family planning. For instance, in 2020, USAID allocated $35 million for family planning efforts in Nigeria as part of a broader $234.5 million development assistance package.
Although there was an increase in family planning allocation in 2024 (N2.225 billion), it still fell short of the national commitment to dedicate at least one percent of the annual health budget to family planning.
The recent cut in Nigeria’s family planning budget amidst funding cut is a major threat to reproductive health service delivery, especially in rural and underserved communities. This reduction will significantly hinder access to essential family planning commodities and services for millions of women, particularly those in hard-to-reach areas who already face barriers due to distance, cost, and cultural stigma. The impact of family planning underfunding is already visible. According to reports, the number of women receiving family planning services has sharply declined.
In 2020, the Nigerian government introduced a Family Planning Blueprint (2020–2024), a strategic document aimed at increasing access to modern contraceptives and reducing maternal deaths. The blueprint provided a clear roadmap with targets and accountability measures. However, as it ended in 2024, many of its goals remained unmet due to inconsistent funding and heavy reliance on donor support.
According to global estimates by UNFPA and the Guttmacher Institute, every dollar spent on family planning can save up to four dollars in maternal and newborn health costs. When translated into local currency, this suggests that for every N1,000 spent, Nigeria could save about N4,000 in healthcare costs.
Meanwhile, this reduction of the family planning budget will significantly hinder access to essential family planning commodities and services for millions of women, particularly those in hard-to-reach areas who already face barriers due to distance, cost, and cultural stigma.
It’s not only imperative for the government to take proactive steps to ensure the continuity and sustainability of the family planning services nationwide, it is obvious that without adequate funding, Nigeria risks reversing the progress made in reducing maternal mortality.
Hence, the urgent appeal to President Bola Tinubu to prioritise and not to jeopardise citizens’ reproductive health. This is not the right time for a family planning budget cut. It is time to pump more funds into the scheme.
. Oyegbade, a public affairs analyst, writes from Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria.
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