By Muhammad Amaan
Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, has called for urgent investment in Nigeria’s health system, family planning and human capital, warning that the country’s rapidly growing population must be deliberately managed to prevent demographic expansion from worsening pressure on healthcare delivery.
Prof. Pate spoke in Abuja on Friday while inaugurating the Nigeria FP2030 High-Level Inter-Ministerial Platform on Family Planning, Health, Human Capital and National Development, a Federal Government initiative designed to strengthen coordination of population and health policies across ministries, departments and agencies.
The Minister said Nigeria’s estimated 230 million population, predominantly youthful and projected to reach between 450 million and 500 million by 2050, makes investment in healthcare and human capital an immediate national priority.
He described Nigeria’s population as its greatest asset but stressed that the demographic advantage could only be realised if citizens are healthy, educated, skilled and economically productive.
According to Pate, the country’s annual population growth means that the government must expand healthcare capacity and ensure that Nigerians, particularly women, children and young people, have access to essential health services.
He said the newly inaugurated platform would provide a coordinated framework for addressing health and population needs across the life course, from adolescence through adulthood, parenthood and old age.
Prof Pate said family planning must occupy a central position in Nigeria’s health strategy because it directly affects maternal health, newborn survival, child health and the ability of families to determine the timing and spacing of pregnancies.
He stressed the importance of strengthening primary healthcare facilities to guarantee access to essential maternal, newborn and child health services, particularly for vulnerable families and communities.
The Minister noted that reducing child mortality was closely linked to fertility decisions, explaining that families’ ability to plan their desired family size could influence maternal and child health outcomes.
He said improved access to quality family planning services would therefore complement efforts to reduce preventable maternal and child deaths while improving the overall wellbeing of households.
Prof Pate also called for stronger coordination between the Federal Government and states, noting that health outcomes are ultimately determined by what happens at the primary healthcare and community levels.
He said the National Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative already provides a framework for collaboration between the Federal Government, the 36 states, local governments and development partners, adding that the new platform would strengthen coordination around family planning and wider health priorities.
The Minister disclosed progress towards domestic production of family planning commodities, describing the development as an important milestone for Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa.
He said producing the commodities locally would reduce dependence on imports, strengthen security of supply, create employment opportunities and retain economic value within Nigeria.
Prof Pate also identified misinformation as a threat to health interventions, urging the National Orientation Agency to play a stronger role in public enlightenment, community engagement and rebuilding trust around health programmes.
He said the success of the platform would ultimately depend on implementation rather than meetings, demanding concrete, measurable action and improved financing for health and family planning programmes.
The Minister called for a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach involving federal, state and local governments, civil society organisations, the private sector and development partners.
He also urged states to complement Federal Government interventions by increasing domestic investment in healthcare, family planning and human-capital development.
Prof Pate welcomed improvements recorded in Nigeria’s Mini-Demographic and Health Survey but cautioned that the gains represented only the beginning of the work required to improve national health indicators.
He urged the government to ensure timely release of appropriated funds, stressing that sustained financing would be necessary to consolidate progress in healthcare delivery.
The Managing Director, FP2030 West and Central Africa Office, Dr Alain Damiba, said the inauguration represented a significant step towards making family planning a broader national development priority rather than an issue restricted to the health sector.
Damiba said family planning has implications for maternal and child health, women’s empowerment, education, household resilience and economic productivity.
“Health, including family planning, is a smart investment in human capital and Nigeria’s future,” he said.
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Daju Kachollom, said improving Nigerians’ health requires coordinated policies and investments across population, education, finance, women affairs, economic planning and social protection.
Represented by the Director of Family Health, Dr Ahmad Muhammad Ozi, Kachollom said the platform would provide an opportunity to strengthen the link between family planning, maternal and newborn health, health-system strengthening and sustainable national development.
She urged members to move beyond discussions and deliver measurable health outcomes.
Stakeholders from the Ministries of Youth Development, Women Affairs and Social Development, Finance, and Budget and Economic Planning, alongside the National Population Commission, National Primary Health Care Development Agency and civil society organisations, pledged to support the initiative.
They agreed that stronger family planning services are critical to improving maternal and child health, empowering women and young people, strengthening families and helping Nigeria achieve better health and development outcomes.
With Nigeria’s population projected to approach 500 million by 2050, the Federal Government is now positioning family planning, primary healthcare and sustained investment in health as critical tools for ensuring that population growth translates into healthier families and a more productive population.
