The United States has spent over $30 million to promote family planning and other health interventions in the country.
Nancy Lawanthal, the Director of Health, Population and Nutrition of the US Agency for International Development, USAID, in Nigeria, made this known during a chat with journalists at the ongoing 4th National Family Planning Conference in Abuja on Tuesday.
Lawanthal said the agency had overtime made significant investment in reproductive health in Nigeria.
She said, “In Nigeria, USAID has devoted over $30 million on reproductive health. That is significant but it is not just for one aspect of reproductive health service.
“The money was used for promotion of programmes to have behaviour change towards investment in healthcare by private sector operators.”
She added that Nigeria was among the countries that is benefiting most from USAID’s interventions and programmes around the world.
She however regretted that Nigerians were not leading the programme as expected, saying that no other donor agency had been able to front for USAID in Nigeria.
Lawanthal added that the agency needed stronger commitment from Nigerians to derive the values and benefits of reproductive health services in the country.
“As donor partners, we also need to see more resources on the table to create more demand for family planning services in Nigeria,” she said.
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