Niger Increases 2019 Funding for Contraceptive Products
Last November the Ministry of Health allocated 200 million CFA for the purchase of contraceptives for 2019, compared to 62 million received in 2018; an increase of over 130 million. The Network of Champions for Adequate Funding of Health—Réseau des Champions en Plaidoyer pour le Financement Adéquat de la Santé (RCPFAS)—in Niger and USAID-funded Health Policy Plus (HP+) Project collaborated to increase the national budget for contraceptives to strengthen Niger’s commitments made at the Family Planning 2020 London Summit. This funding allocation was finalized by Secretary General Dr. Ranaou Abache, on behalf of the Ministry of Health.
This commitment was achieved after establishing an Advocacy Committee following a SMART advocacy facilitation session, with technical support from HP+ and under the leadership of the Direction de la Santé de la Mère et de l’Enfant. The orientation session, also with HP+ support, allowed members of RCPFAS-Niger and other stakeholders to build capacity in advocacy techniques.
RCPFAS and HP+ held a series of meetings with the Minister of Health and his senior staff—Director of Maternal and Child Health, Director of Financial and Material Resources—as well as the Ministry of Finance’s Deputy Director of the National Budget, representatives from civil society organizations and non-governmental organizations, and parliamentarians from the Finance Commission and the Commission of Cultural and Social Affairs of the National Assembly. These advocacy meetings, supported by a detailed, evidence-based argument line, convinced Minister of Health, Dr. Idi Illiassou Mainassar, of the soundness of a budget reallocation.
