NGO Partners Bauchi Govt On Child Birth Spacing
Marie Stopes International (MSI) Nigeria, an NGO, in collaboration with the Bauchi State Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, on Friday, inaugurated the Challenge Fund Project (CFP) on Child-Birth Spacing (CBS).
The project, funded by the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), an independent philanthropic organisation, is aimed at expanding access to family planning services, particularly in underserved communities.
Speaking at the project’s inauguration, MSI Nigeria Country Director Mr Emmanuel Ajah described CFP as a significant step toward ensuring last-mile access to family planning services.
Ajah said that the initiative will benefit seven states, including Bauchi, with targets on first-time parents and adolescents. He added that the project will support two mobile outreach teams and strengthen 400 public sector health facilities.
He said, “It will also engage 50 MS Ladies, trained community-based providers, delivering reproductive health services.”
Ajah further said that the project aligned with Nigeria’s goal of achieving a 27-per-cent modern contraceptive prevalence rate by 2030, stressing the need for government ownership through a sector-wide approach to ensure long-term sustainability.
The Bauchi State Commissioner for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Sani Dambam, reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to quality healthcare delivery.
Bambam highlighted some of the reforms in the health sector, noting that some of the state reforms on health include the N250m capital investment in the drugs, medical consumables and management agency.
“The state had been consistent in allocating 25 per cent of the state budget to the health sector,” he said.
He further expressed appreciation to MSI Nigeria for selecting Bauchi as one of the beneficiary states and pledged full support of relevant health agencies for effective project implementation.
The Executive Chairman of Giade Local Government Area and representative of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Alhaji Usman Mohammed, commended MSI Nigeria’s contributions to reproductive health.
Mohammed noted the growing demand for CBS services in Bauchi State but identified persistent shortages in commodities as a major barrier to service uptake.
However, he reaffirmed ALGON’s commitment to promoting increased access and uptake of healthcare services across the state.
NGO Partners Bauchi Govt On Child Birth Spacing is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
