Cross River, Partners Strengthen Collaboration to Expand Family Planning Services
By Ebi COLLINS and Jessica UBI
The Cross River State Ministry of Health and its development partners have resolved to deepen collaboration and strengthen coordination aimed at expanding access to family planning services and improving maternal health outcomes across the State.
The resolution was reached during the Quarterly Stakeholder Coordination Meeting on Family Planning held on Monday in Calabar, with participation from government officials, development agencies, healthcare professionals, religious bodies, and traditional institutions.
Speaking during the meeting, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Henry Egbe Ayuk, advocated a “community diagnosis” approach to healthcare delivery, stressing the need to address environmental and social factors affecting health at the grassroots level.
According to him, sustainable improvements in healthcare can only be achieved through strong partnerships and coordinated interventions among stakeholders.
“Government will continue to provide the leadership and sit in the driver’s seat, but behind and beside us are partners working together,” Ayuk stated.
He noted that the administration of Governor Bassey Otu remains committed to building the confidence of development partners, a commitment he said contributed to the State’s successful procurement of family planning commodities last year.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for International Development Cooperation, Dr. Hippolatus Lukpata, described family planning as an economic necessity capable of improving household lwelfare, quality education, and effective resource allocation.
He observed that misconceptions previously associated with family planning were gradually giving way to a better understanding of its importance in promoting healthier families and sustainable development.
“An adult sitting down sees beyond what a child sees while climbing a tree,” Lukpata remarked, urging members of the Technical Working Group to act as “instruments of change” in implementing family planning policies across the state.
Representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Dr. Sola Taye, commended the Technical Working Group for achieving critical milestones in commodity supply and reproductive health coordination.
He expressed appreciation to the state government for its support, particularly the procurement of family planning commodities, which he described as a major achievement capable of improving healthcare delivery across Cross River State.
Dr. Taye, however, urged stakeholders to intensify efforts toward achieving the 2026 targets for family planning and maternal health services.
In her remarks, the Director of Nursing Services, Mrs. Roseline Obojor-Ogar, described nurses as frontline gatekeepers of reproductive healthcare, emphasizing that family planning remains essential to maternal health and adolescent dignity.
The State Family Planning Coordinator, Mrs. Katame Triumph, appreciated stakeholders for their continued support and commitment to reproductive health programmes in the state, noting that their presence reflected a shared commitment to improving maternal and child health outcomes.
Traditional ruler and community representative, Ndabu Emmanuel Duke, pledged the support of the traditional institution in promoting accurate family planning information at the community level, while the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), represented by Mr. Ayo Abok, also assured stakeholders of the readiness of religious bodies to support the initiative.
The meeting featured reviews of the “Market Storm” outreach programme, which delivers free health services across the 18 local government areas of the state, as well as preparations for the 2026 World Contraception Day scheduled for September 25.
Development partners, including UNFPA, MSI Nigeria Reproductive Choices, USAID, PPFN, and GPI, also pledged to harmonize their 2026 work plans with the state’s strategic health objectives to ensure greater impact across Cross River State.
