Government Stakeholders’ Perspectives on the Family Planning Environment in Three Nigerian Cities: Qualitative Findings from the Nurhi Sustainability Study

Courtney McGuire, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Lisa M. Calhoun, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Tolulope Babawarun, Center for Comprehensive promotion of Reproductive Health
Amelia Maytan-Joneydi, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Ilene S. Speizer, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Using in-depth interviews with key government stakeholders, this study examines stakeholders’ perspectives on government’s role within the family planning environment with a specific focus on how their views reflect the sustainability of Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (NURHI) programming. Our results demonstrate that stakeholders strongly believe that government should be leading the family planning environment but are open and eager for foreign donors to provide support. Financial support for family planning was a key topic with stakeholders emphasizing recent dedicated family planning budget lines as an example of institutionalization of NURHI programming. Advocacy groups, as supported by NURHI and other NGOs, have played a key role in securing government financing for family planning.