UNFPA, Microsoft Partner to Explore Tech in Family Planning

Ugo Aliogo

The United Nations Population Fund, (UNFPA) has partnered with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and Microsoft Teams to explore technological innovation to access increase demand for family planning solutions in Nigeria.

The event was held at the Microsoft Office King Towers, Ikoyi Lagos with the theme: “Family Planning Hackathon” saw 14 innovative ideas to access family planning in Nigeria.

Earlier in her remarks, Gender and Reproductive Health analyst, UNFPA, Esther Somefun, said that as an organisation, they were employing technology and innovations to ensure that Nigerians have something sustainable that reaches the targeted population or beneficiaries that they  are designing it for.

“We are looking for things we have designed from our own experiences and things we have seen worked. We have a kind of ideas and adaptation of what can work in our society,” she said.

Somefun said that the aim was to achieve three transformation  results, which were: Ending unwanted pregnancy and ending all forms of violence in Africa with traditional practice.

She disclosed that in Nigeria, the group had been  able to meet the reproductive intentions of 19 per cent of married women reportedly not wanting to have anymore children.

“Access to family planning,  information and services is critical and vital as case studies have shown that  3.5 million pregnancies could be avoided.

“To reach our target, even when we have funding, UNFPA has identified a 6 by 6 framework which identifies technology and innovation as a catalyst and as accelerator to reducing maternal mortality and also within our means of family planning,” she said.

Also, Innovation Team Lead, African Development Centre (ADC), Microsoft Engineering Team, Nkem Nweke, said: “We want to build AI solutions that provides, helps or solve most problems in the world such as access to modern family planning and a product that is executed.”