Report Released on Family Planning Use in Northern Nigeria

At a July 10th event in Abuja, Nigeria, HC3 disseminated a report on family planning use in Bauchi and Sokoto States. The report included findings from a literature review of family planning literature published since 2008 on family planning use in the northwest and northeast regions; an assessment of facility based service statistics, commodities, and household survey data from the two states; and findings from in-depth interviews with HMIS Officers, family planning providers, and family planning clients in the two states.

The report showed that use of family planning for spacing is accepted in these two states, that facility based data show a slight increase in modern contraceptives use in Sokoto – more so than what has been reported in the household surveys. The in-depth interviews with the clients revealed that family planning users may not always disclose their family planning use to household interviewers.

After the data were shared with the audience of family planning experts in the private and public sector from Abuja, Bauchi State, and Sokoto State, there was time for questions and reflections. Professor E. O. Otolorin, the JHPIEGO Country Director, said it adeptly when he stated, “It is clear that the ground is softening in Bauchi and Sokoto States, as we are seeing less resistance to family planning,”

In sum, the event was a success in that the data findings were shared with many Nigerian family planning experts and the depth of discussion that ensued after the data presentation indicated that the participants listened intently to the findings, provided comments that augmented those findings, and publicly commented on ways that the findings can be used to foster an even more welcoming family planning environment in Bauchi and Sokoto States, and other areas in Nigeria, the near future.

Click through for photos from the July 10th event in Abuja, Nigeria.