Government stakeholders’ perspectives on the family planning environment in three Nigerian cities: qualitative findings from the Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (NURHI) Sustainability Study

Background: The Nigerian government has made numerous commitments to expanding access to family planning services for its population yet has faced many challenges in implementing these commitments. Foreign donors provide support for expanding access to family planning in key populations. Objective: This study examines the family planning environment after donor funding has ended, including how government stakeholders perceive family planning services and their role in providing them post donor funding. Methods: The NURHI Sustainability Study used qualitative data to evaluate the sustainability of the Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (NURHI), which focused on increasing the use of modern contraceptive methods, particularly among the urban poor. This study presents results from in-depth interviews with 16 key government stakeholders, selected using purposive sampling methods, in three cities: Ilorin (where NURHI Phase 1 programming discontinued in 2015), Kaduna (where programming continued under NURHI Phase 2), and Jos (a comparison city). A thematic analysis was employed to identify key themes related to government stakeholders’ perspectives on the family planning environment and sustainability of NURHI programming. Results: Respondents from all three cities highlighted local political leaders’ positive perceptions about family planning. All respondents were open to continued foreign donor support for family planning services while respondents in Kaduna and Jos emphasized the need for governments to lead efforts among all family planning actors. Stakeholders highlighted the benefits of a dedicated and implemented family planning budget line and encouraged continued state financial support. Respondents in Kaduna and Ilorin praised the positive influence of NURHI programming while those from Ilorin reflected on the need for future programs to gradually close-out their efforts to support sustainability. Conclusions: As donors look to transition to government ownership of family planning efforts, it is important for family planning programs to understand and incorporate government stakeholders’ perspectives into their sustainability planning efforts.