Experts have stressed that FP2030 countries in Asia and African nations, including Nigeria, should accelerate action on the 'Made possible by family planning' campaign to raise $1 billion for family planning and secure new commitments for rights-based FP services.
“Made Possible by Family Planning” is a global campaign initiated by FP2030 to raise new money, galvanise new leadership, and spark new momentum for rights-based family planning.
By the end of 2025, the #MadePossibleByFP campaign seeks to raise one billion dollars for family planning and unlock new commitments from governments and changemakers.
The campaign is premised on the fact that family planning (FP) can unlock a new world of possibilities. Dream jobs, healthy families, and thriving communities are all made possible by FP.
Indeed, research shows that family planning is an investment, not just an expenditure for governments, and it pays dividends.
According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA, for every dollar invested in family planning, benefits to families and societies are estimated to be at least $8.78, altogether generating N1.06 Trillion ($660 billion) in economic benefits by 2050. Similarly, the Guttmacher Institute has found that every additional dollar (N1,603) spent investing in family planning would save N4,809 ($3) in reproductive, maternal, and newborn healthcare costs.
Unarguably, individual success stories of family planning programmes have a huge impact on a national and global scale. For instance, countries become more stable, their economies grow, and their populations become healthier when women can use family planning.
Recently, Dr. Samukeliso Dube, Executive Director, FP2030, enunciated reasons that everything could be made possible by family planning, under the campaign ‘Made possible by family planning.’
Contrary to Dubem’s belief during her medical career that women would seek and get family planning services in all their primary health care centers or pharmacies, today, she has learned that this is not the case in many countries. “At times, the method they want is not there, at times these services are not integrated, and at times they are denied or discouraged from using family planning by providers or by society - overtly or in a subtle way.
“Now, international development fields are at a sobering crossroads – gender equality, access to contraception and healthcare, women’s health – due to global cuts in foreign aid in countries across the world,” Dubem lamented.
She noted that this was evident from the conversations at the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and the recent Africa Health Agenda International Conference (AHAIC) meeting in Kigali. She made a passionate appeal. “As this is happening, I have one appeal: not to forget investing in women’s reproductive autonomy. Now more than ever, family planning is the smartest investment global development actors and country governments can make.”
As governments now consider how they will reprioritise their spending, the community must act decisively to prove the catalytic importance of family planning on a global scale, Dubem posited.
While family planning is not a magic wand to solve all developmental problems, it sure can make many investments in global development realise good returns. Dubem asserted, “We all know what is Made Possible by Family Planning.” That wide array of opportunities and benefits are created through the utilisation of family planning cannot be debated.
Family planning allows girls to stay in school. It gives parents time and space to raise healthy children as they can space births the way they want, it allows women to land their dream jobs and meaningfully participate in the workforce because they can plan families, and people can choose not to have children through the use of contraception.
Unfortunately, 800 women die every day from childbirth complications, while 218 million women in low- and middle-income countries have an unmet need for modern contraception.
Sadly, too, women disproportionately face the impacts of climate change, managing families amid disasters and resource conflicts. Research indicates that achieving gender equality could take 132 years at the current pace, highlighting the urgent need for action. Gendered power dynamics hinder funding for family planning, which remains deprioritized and politicized. Investing in family planning is crucial for global health and achieving Sustainable Development Goals, presenting an opportunity for leaders to prioritize universal access to modern contraception.
And yet, so few people outside the health sector are talking about family planning. Dubem and many experts believe this is because family planning is so foundational, it is often overlooked, and worse, neglected.
FP2030 Made Possible campaign also aims to position funding family planning not just as the “right thing to do,” but as the popular thing to do. The Made Possible campaign is further targeted to bring new influential actors into the field, to spark a new conversation, and bring in new funding streams.
After starting the narrative at the UN General Assembly last year, FP2030 partnered with influencers from the arts, entertainment, sports, beauty, and fashion to tell their stories during the 2025 International Women’s Day.
The influencers shared what has been “made possible” in their lives because of their ability to access and use family planning or contraception.
Bettina Looney, along with Ferdinand Omanyala, Africa's fastest man, and fashion designer Pia Baroncini, shared their stories on International Women’s Day. More voices from sports and fashion are anticipated to contribute, aiming to inspire a narrative shift and foster new leadership in this space.
Dubem expressed concerns about the knowledge gap about what has been made possible.
Some Nigerians who are still unfamiliar with the term "family planning" may take its benefits for granted, and may not realise the movement is under attack, highlighting the need for awareness and action.
Indeed, ‘Made possible by family planning’ is not only FP2030’s campaign; it is a collective campaign for everyone. It is a campaign for all to share the story of what family planning has made possible.
Truly, every Nigerian stakeholder is obligated to maintain momentum in discussions about adapting to significant cuts in global foreign assistance by sharing personal stories on Instagram with the hashtag #MadePossibleByFP.
