Health Minister Muhammad Pate says local manufacturing will cut import dependence, create jobs and support Nigeria’s youthful population.
The Federal Government has announced plans to begin local production of family planning materials as part of efforts to reduce dependence on imported commodities, create jobs and strengthen Nigeria’s human capital.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, disclosed this in Abuja while inaugurating the Nigeria FP2030 High-Level Inter-Ministerial Platform on Family Planning, Health, Human Capital and National Development.
Pate said the initiative would strengthen coordination among government ministries and agencies while ensuring that Nigeria’s rapidly growing and predominantly youthful population becomes a driver of sustainable economic development.
He noted that Nigeria’s population, estimated at about 230 million, is projected to reach between 450 million and 500 million by 2050, stressing the need for deliberate investments in health, education, skills and economic empowerment.
According to him, local production of family planning commodities would not only improve access but also create employment opportunities for young Nigerians and retain economic value within the country.
Pate said the newly inaugurated inter-ministerial platform would adopt a life-course approach, bringing together relevant ministries and agencies to address the needs of Nigerians from adolescence through adulthood, parenthood and old age.
He identified the Ministries of Health, Budget and Economic Planning, Finance, Women Affairs, Education and Youth Development, alongside the National Population Commission, as key institutions in achieving the platform’s objectives.
The minister also stressed the importance of strengthening primary healthcare, improving access to maternal, newborn and child health services, and reducing child mortality to support families in making informed decisions about family size.
He urged federal, state and local governments, civil society organisations, the private sector and development partners to work together to ensure that the platform produces measurable results rather than remaining a forum for discussions.
Also speaking, the Managing Director of FP2030 West and Central Africa Office, Dr Alain Damiba, commended the Federal Government for establishing the platform, describing family planning and health as critical investments in human capital and national development.
He said empowering women and young people to make informed and voluntary reproductive health decisions would have wider benefits for education, economic productivity and family wellbeing.
The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Daju Kachollom, represented by the Director of Family Health, Dr Ahmad Muhammad Ozi, urged participating ministries and agencies to focus on practical actions, stronger partnerships and shared accountability.
Stakeholders from relevant ministries, the National Population Commission, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency and civil society organisations pledged their support for the new platform.