Bauchi Receives Family Planning Commodities from UNFPA to Enhance Health Outcomes.

By Uzairu Dauda Bunga:

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has handed over family planning commodities worth millions of naira to the Bauchi State Government to enhance women’s and children’s health through improved access to child-spacing services.

Representing the UNFPA Country Representative, Ms. Murie Mafiko, the Gender Reproductive Health Analyst and UNFPA Bauchi State Programme Officer, Deborah Tabara, said the commodities were procured under a grant funded by the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF).

She explained that the support aligns with ongoing government efforts to strengthen reproductive health services across Nigeria.

Tabara recalled that in July 2025, UNFPA similarly handed over state-funded family planning commodities to Bauchi State, following the government’s commitment to implementing the National Guidelines for State-Funded Procurement of Family Planning Commodities, launched by Governor Bala Abdulkadir Muhammad in 2023.

According to Ms. Mafiko, the 2023 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) estimates Bauchi State’s population at over 9.2 million, with a total fertility rate of 6.2 children per woman.

She noted that the state is at a critical point in improving maternal and child health outcomes, necessitating strategic investments in family planning.

Mafiko further explained that UNFPA and CIFF recently signed an 18-month agreement (2025–2026) to procure additional quality-assured family planning commodities for seven priority states, including Bauchi. The CIFF investment aims to accelerate demographic transition, improve commodity availability, and reduce unmet needs for family planning.

The UNFPA Country Representative emphasized that the contribution will help mobilize additional domestic resources at the state level and complement existing grants focused on creating an enabling environment for family planning, strengthening health systems, and scaling up innovative demand-generation strategies through positive social behavior change.

She commended the Bauchi State Government’s commitment to ending unmet needs for family planning, preventing maternal deaths, and eliminating gender-based violence and harmful practices.

Receiving the commodities on behalf of the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Sani Muhammad Dambam, the Executive Chairman of the Bauchi State Primary Healthcare Board, Dr. Rilwanu Muhammad, announced that the items include 138,073 doses of Sayana Press and 9,908 units of Implanon NXT.

He said the supplies will significantly help meet the family planning needs of households across the state.

Dr. Muhammad disclosed that the state government released ₦50 million to UNFPA for the procurement of family planning commodities in 2024 and has approved an additional ₦70 million for 2025, noted that acceptance of family planning continues to grow among Bauchi residents.

Dr Muhammad appealed to Governor Bala to upgrade the State Medical Central Store into a modern, high-capacity facility to improve storage conditions.

He also highlighted ongoing efforts to address child malnutrition, noting that with support from UNICEF through the Children Matching Grant, ₦600 million was invested in procuring 4,800 doses of RUTF, distributed to 56 centres across the state.

Also speaking, the Managing Director of the Bauchi State Medical Consumables Agency, Pharmacist Abdulkadir Ahmed, praised the governor’s resolve to construct a new, state-of-the-art Medical Central Store in 2026, with ₦1.5 billion already included in the capital budget.

He lamented the congestion in the current warehouse, which necessitated the governor’s approval for a new facility.

Pharmacist Abdulkadir thanked UNFPA for its continuous support to Bauchi State, particularly in improving the health and wellbeing of women and children.