By Francesca Hangeior

Nigeria’s population may rise to 450 million in 2050 if urgent action is not taken to address the growing population, family planning experts have said.

The experts expressed their concerns at a media roundtable on Tuesday ahead of the eighth Nigeria Family Planning Conference organised by the Association for the Advancement of Family Planning in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, and other family planning stakeholders in Abuja.

In his opening remarks, the Chairman of the Management Committee, AAFP, and Chairman of the Local Organising Committee for the conference, Dr Ejike Oji, said Nigeria’s fertility rate was high and there was a need to reduce the rate to four per cent.

Ejike, who is also the Nigeria CSO Focal Point FP 2030 stated, “If we continue with the same fertility rate that we have now, our population is going to be driven to 450 million by 2050.

“If we do not bring down our fertility rates, by the year 2050, we will be 450 million, based on the percentage increase every year. Every year, we add about four million people to our population. So if you look at that, you know that it’s going to be a lot of problems for us.”

He further noted, “Remember that the increase is geometric. It’s not that it will stop at four million because there’s a percentage driving it. It’s four million this year; next year, it might be 4.2 million; the following year, it might be 4.5 million; it may get to a point where it might be five million or 10 million every year.”

The gynaecologist referenced China and India, the world’s two most populous countries, as models for managing population growth.

“About 50 years ago, China and India were among the poorest nations. However, today, China is the second-largest economy in the world, and India is rapidly growing.

“Both countries achieved this by lowering their fertility rates and investing in their youth. Nigeria has that opportunity. If we miss it now, if we don’t bring our fertility rate down to four per cent, by the year 2030, we’re going to be in serious trouble.”

Ejike stated that the fertility rate has, however, reduced from 5.3 per cent to 4.8 per cent.

The expert said the forthcoming conference, themed “Sustaining commitments for family planning within the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative; advancing progress toward achieving FP2030 goals,” will reemphasise the importance of family planning.

Corroborating his statement, the Managing Director of FP 2030 North, West, Central Africa Hub, Dr Martin Migombano, said Nigeria’s population may hit 450 million by 2050 because of the size of the country.

“Also, 28.5 per cent of maternal mortality in the world happens in Nigeria. So there is still a lot that needs to be done by our partners, religious leaders, the government, financial partners who are donors, and others.

“They are all coming to the conference to pledge again and make sure that whatever investments are being made is going to the grassroots, where women actually should access family planning.

“But the key one is how can a woman get access to family planning? How about commodities? How about the education of the population? So, we need all the partners. It’s a collaborative way of working. And again, after two years, we’ll come and assess whether we have made progress again or not, or we are still stagnating,” he said.

A consultant at Amref International, Mrs Ifesinachi Eze said disruptions in family planning and reproductive health services in humanitarian settings leave women with unmet family planning needs, as the disruptions strain the health systems and require collaborative solutions.

“To address these issues, USAID’s Propel Adapt project is developing a private sector engagement guide for FP/RH supply chains in humanitarian settings.

“This guide, created in collaboration with FP2030, supports countries in rapidly assessing private sector capacities, fostering public-private collaborations, and strengthening FP/RH supply chains during emergencies,” she noted.

Eze stated that collaboration is key to maximising impact in the health sector as no organisation can achieve sustainable development alone.

“Governments and the private sector need to work together to create the regulatory frameworks, financial incentives, and infrastructure that allow the health sector to thrive,” she added.