UNFPA, Norway to Spend N2.2bn on Sexual, Reproductive Health in Nigeria 

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has signed an agreement with the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for implementation of a three-year project titled, ‘Advancing Access to Comprehensive Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of Adolescent Girls and Women’ put at a cost of Norwegian Krone (NOK) 48,000,000, approximately N2.2 billion.

 According to a signed press statement yesterday, the agreement which was signed on Thursday in Abuja is expected to run from 2023-2025 and would consolidate and build on the achievements of the recently-concluded Norway funded project titled: ‘Integrated approach to empowering adolescent girls and women in Gombe and Akwa Ibom states of Nigeria through access to sexual and reproductive health and rights’.

The statement revealed that the goal of the current project is to improve access to Comprehensive Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of adolescent girls and women in selected local government areas of Gombe, Akwa Ibom and Kaduna states.

The project objectives, according to the statement, are to improve access to quality family planning counselling and services for adolescent girls and women of reproductive age; increase access to quality emergency obstetric and new-born care services for women and girls; increase access to quality obstetric fistula care and prevention services for women and girls living with obstetric fistula; increase access to sexual and reproductive health information and life skills for adolescent girls; increase access to information on sexual and reproductive health including STI/HIV, gender equality and ending harmful practices for men and boys; and increase the operational capacities of national partners and civil society organisations to address social norms in order to improve access to SRH services and gender equality.

The statement revealed that the expected beneficiaries are 180,000 women of reproductive age (aged 15-49 years) at risk of unplanned pregnancies; 2,000 women and girls living with complications of obstetric fistula; 6,500 adolescent girls (4,000 aged 10-14 years and 2,500 aged 15-19 years) at risk of early and forced marriages.

It will also target 30,000 adolescent boys with access to information on sexual and reproductive health; 520 healthcare workers with quality training to deliver quality SRH/FP including emergency obstetric care and fistula management services; 330 teachers to mentor girls and boys; 2,500,000 community members (men, women, boys and girls) with information on sexual and reproductive health and gender equality; 2,400 female teachers benefit from information and knowledge on managing safe spaces from their peers; and 1,000 male teachers benefit from information and knowledge sharing (on managing youth clubs) from their peers