Govt vows to strengthen financing for family planning programmes

Government has reaffirmed its commitment to working with all partners to explore sustainable financing mechanisms for family planning programmes, aimed at improving maternal and child health, empowering women and girls, and leveraging the country’s demographic dividend for economic growth.

Permanent Secretary for Planning and Administration at the Ministry of Finance and National Planning, Prudence Kaoma, said the government would continue advocating for the integration of family planning into broader public finance management reforms, including health insurance, performance-based financing, and public-private partnerships.

Speaking during the validation of the Family Planning Fiscal Space Analysis (FSA) for Zambia report, organised by the Ministry of Finance and National Planning in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and supported by FP2030 and the ThinkWell Institute Zambia in Lusaka on Tuesday, Kaoma highlighted the importance of family planning to national development.

“As you are aware, the Eighth National Development Plan (8NDP) places human and social development at the centre of our national priorities under Pillar Two. Family planning contributes directly to this pillar by supporting maternal and child health, empowering women and girls, and ensuring Zambia harnesses the demographic dividend—a critical enabler for sustainable economic growth,” she said.

Kaoma added that the FSA findings were timely, given Zambia’s competing demands on public resources amid a dynamic global financing landscape.

She emphasised that through innovative approaches, improved efficiency, and strategic prioritisation, essential health services—including family planning—can remain adequately funded.

The analysis, she said, provided critical insights on how the Government can progressively increase domestic financing for family planning in line with Zambia’s FP2030 commitments and Vision 2030 aspirations of becoming a prosperous middle-income nation.

“I am pleased that this process has been consultative and inclusive. The ThinkWell Institute Zambia team engaged key stakeholders across Government and the health sector through interviews, while my team at the Ministry of Finance and National Planning provided technical input to ensure the analysis reflects our macro-fiscal realities. This collaborative approach strengthens the credibility and relevance of the findings,” Kaoma said.

She further emphasised that the FSA provided an evidence-based platform to guide the government’s next steps in ensuring that no woman or girl was left behind due to lack of access to family planning services.

Meanwhile, ThinkWell Institute Zambia Country Director, Joy Walubita, noted that Zambia was undergoing a significant contraceptive transition, with the contraceptive prevalence rate rising to 52.5 percent in 2024, up from just nine percent in 1992.

Walubita added that the validation meeting aimed to review the FSA report and incorporate participants’ feedback to ensure its accuracy and relevance.

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