After more than a decade without funding releases, Akwa Ibom has committed N60 million for family planning commodities, but stakeholders warn that shortages of consumables, health workers and programme funding could undermine the gains.
The Akwa Ibom State Government has released N60 million for the procurement of family planning commodities, ending more than a decade during which funds were budgeted but not released for the programme.
The funding was disclosed on Wednesday during a Pulse Check Meeting in Uyo for Family Planning and Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health programmes.
The meeting was organised by the Akwa Ibom State Government with support from The Challenge Initiative, Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programme and the Bill & Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health.
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During the meeting, government officials and development partners reviewed the state's progress after graduating to a self-reliance stage under donor-supported interventions.
The meeting assessed whether the state is sustaining gains made during years of external technical support from the Challenge Initiative, and identified critical gaps requiring government investment to ensure improved maternal and reproductive health outcomes.
A PREMIUM TIMES review of Akwa Ibom State's audited financial statements and budget performance reports between 2015 and 2024 found no releases for family planning commodities despite budgetary provisions in some years.
The latest release follows an assurance by the Commissioner for Health, Ekem Emmanuel, during an advocacy visit from initiative in May 2025 that the state would contribute to the National Basket Fund after previous budgets, including the 2025 appropriation, did not provide funding for the programme.
The National Basket Fund is a pooled financing mechanism that supports the procurement and distribution of family planning commodities across participating states to ensure sustained access to reproductive health services.
First funding in over 10 years
The state's Family Planning Coordinator, Enobong Eshiet, described the release as a landmark achievement after years of advocacy.
"We have been able to contribute to the National Basket Fund for procurement of family planning commodities. A sum of N60 million has been contributed. It is something we have been begging for over 10 years.
"We have not had releases for family planning. Even when we included it in the budget, there had been no releases. This year is different," she said.
Ms Eshiet attributed the development to the support of Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom and the health commissioner.
She said increased access to family planning services could raise the state's contraceptive prevalence rate and reduce unintended pregnancies and maternal deaths.
According to her, Akwa Ibom currently has an estimated unmet need for family planning of 23 per cent.
She also noted that unsafe abortions contribute significantly to maternal deaths, adding that improved access to contraceptives could help address the problem.
Commissioner confirms payment
Contacted by PREMIUM TIMES, the Commissioner for Health, Mr Emmanuel, confirmed that the state had completed the N60 million contribution.
He said the government made the first tranche of payment into the National Basket Fund in January, while the release of the final tranche was made in June to the United Nations Population Fund for direct procurement of family planning commodities.
The funding follows persistent maternal health challenges in the state.
According to the District Health Information Software 2 (DHIS2), the digital health information platform used by Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Health and supported by the World Health Organisation, Akwa Ibom records a maternal mortality ratio of 774 deaths per 100,000 live births.
PREMIUM TIMES investigation shown how pregnant women and children die in Akwa Ibom due to poorly equipped health facilities while billions of naira is wasted on cars for government officials.
Health experts have consistently identified voluntary family planning as one of the most cost-effective interventions for reducing maternal and child mortality by preventing unintended pregnancies and promoting healthy birth spacing.
More funding needs identified
Despite welcoming the release, stakeholders said the procurement of contraceptive commodities alone would not guarantee improved access unless accompanied by investments in consumables, training and service delivery.
The Regional Programme Manager of The Challenge Initiative, Obase Sam, commended the state government for its contribution to the National Basket Fund but said the state must now invest in complementary inputs needed to provide family planning services.
"Now that we have enough commodities, every hand has to be on deck," he said.
"There must be consumables. You cannot administer those commodities without consumables. There will also be strong need for capacity building because health workers must be ready to provide the services."
He also called for greater investment in public awareness campaigns, media engagement, community outreach and male involvement to improve acceptance and utilisation of family planning services.
According to him, increasing the availability of commodities alone would not automatically improve the state's modern contraceptive prevalence rate.
"It is the utilisation of the commodities that will move the numbers," he said.
Mr Sam said about 20 states had already contributed to the National Basket Fund, with more expected to join.
Uptake improving
Presenting an analysis of the state's family planning programme, Mr Sam said uptake of modern contraceptives had steadily increased between 2022 and 2025.
According to the data, the number of women using modern contraceptives in Akwa Ibom reached 121,131 in 2025, the highest recorded during the four-year period.
Similarly, new family planning acceptors rose to 89,447 in 2025. He said new acceptors increased by 68 per cent between 2022 and 2025, while the number of women using modern contraceptives increased by 65 per cent over the same period.
LGA performance
Data presented at the meeting showed disparities among the state's 31 local government areas.
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For women using modern contraceptives in 2025, Mkpat Enin accounted for 11 per cent of the state's uptake, followed by Eket with six per cent, while Onna, Ikono and Ibesikpo Asutan each recorded five per cent.
Uyo, despite being the state capital and having one of the largest populations, contributed only four per cent, which Mr Sam described as low relative to its population size.
Obot Akara, Oruk Anam and Ika recorded the lowest performance at one per cent each.
For new family planning acceptors, Mkpat Enin again ranked first with nine per cent, followed by Onna with six per cent.
Uyo accounted for one per cent, while Ika recorded no new family planning acceptors during the review period.
Gaps state government must address
Stakeholders also identified several challenges that could undermine the gains from the new funding.
These include underreporting of family planning data into DHIS2, inadequate funding for high-impact interventions, staff attrition arising from retirements and workforce fatigue, with some health facilities relying on a single officer to manage multiple health programmes.
To maximise the benefits of the commodity procurement, participants recommended that the state government deploy resources from the Basic Health Care Provision Fund to procure essential family planning consumables needed for service delivery.
They argued that while the release of funds for commodities is a comnendable milestone, sustained financing for consumables, health worker training and community mobilisation would determine whether the investment translates into improved maternal health outcomes across Akwa Ibom State.
