With the scaling up of family planning services, Nigeria will record a drop in maternal mortality, improved newborn outcomes, and healthy families.
Country Team Lead, The Challenge Initiative Nigeria, Dr. Taiwo Johnson, emphasized this in a release to observe Safe Motherhood Day in 2025.
She explained that every year, Nigeria loses thousands of women to pregnancy-related complications, many of which are preventable through proper spacing and voluntary family planning.
Dr. Johnson added that Safe motherhood starts before the first contraction. It begins with informed choices, timely access to family planning, and a community that supports women at every step of their reproductive journey.
The statement added that there are growing signs of impact across Nigeria as states are translating family planning commitments into visible progress. Even in complex humanitarian settings, family planning is being integrated with maternal health services, ensuring continuity of care.
Dr. Johnson said, despite these encouraging gains, much more remains to be done. Progress is not yet uniform, and gaps in access, quality, and equity persist. All implementing states must sustain momentum by strengthening service delivery, expanding access to marginalized groups, and addressing lingering myths and barriers. To truly fulfill the promise of reproductive health and rights for all, no one can be left behind.
Continued investment, political will, and community-driven action are critical to ensuring that family planning services reach every woman, man, and young person who needs them, no matter where they live.
Onche Odeh, Project Lead at Development Communications Network, believes the path to safe motherhood is not just paved in hospitals. It starts with unlimited access to information, safe choices, access to affordable and culturally appropriate FP services.
Health facilities must experience increased client trust, local governments mobilize resources to reach more communities, and advocacy efforts are reshaped to public perceptions, particularly through youth engagement, male involvement, and outreach to underserved populations.
Nigeria is closer than ever to making safe motherhood not just a goal but a guarantee
Political will, sustainable funding, and grassroots engagement are required for reproductive health transformations in States.
The 2025 theme for the Safe Motherhood Day is “Healthy Beginnings.”
