Stakeholders call for timely release of family planning funds in Taraba

Participants in a two days stakeholders meeting on family planning in Taraba State have unanimously agreed that timely release of funds for family planning is essential for maintaining reproductive health services and supporting individual rights to family planning.

Organized by The Challenge Initiative, TCI, in collaboration with the Taraba State Primary Health Care Development Agency, the stakeholders meeting which took place in the conference hall of the Taraba Aids Control Agency, TACA, in Jalingo , the state capital, was attended by partners, the media and line ministries, among others.

Pressing for a more efficient and transparent funding process, the participants called on the Taraba State government to as a matter of urgency prioritize essential services.

According to them, addressing the delays in fund disbursement would have significant benefits, including reducing unintended pregnancies, promoting women’s health, and contributing to overall socioe-conomic development.

Apart from the ongoing push for timely and efficient release of funds for family planning programs, they also demanded transparency in family planning fund allocation and disbursement processes.

Advocating for accountability mechanisms to track and report the use of the funds, they urged media practitioners in the state to go extra miles in ensuring that funds meant for family planning in the budget are released as at when due.

Calling on the government to adhere to the planned budget timelines to ensure that family planning services are not disrupted, they also called for regular updates and reports on the status of fund disbursement to enhance transparency and enable stakeholders to plan accordingly.

They noted that partnering with relevant organizations will help in bolstering funding, particularly when government funds are delayed.

They also expressed sadness that since a dedicated annual budget line for family planning was achieved several years ago, no kobo have been released for such purpose.