By Emmanuella Opara | October 25th 2026
KEY POINTS
- Ekiti State Government and Jhpiego are working to expand access to hormonal intrauterine devices (H-IUDs).
- The project trained frontline health workers and promoted awareness of the contraceptive method.
- Stakeholders called for sustained service delivery, community engagement and efforts to address misconceptions about family planning.
MAIN STORY
The Ekiti State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to expanding access to family planning services, particularly hormonal intrauterine devices (H-IUDs), in partnership with international health organisation Jhpiego.
The commitment was reiterated at a one-day end-of-project dissemination meeting on the scale-up of hormonal intrauterine devices, held in Ado Ekiti on Saturday.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ekiti State Ministry of Health and Human Services, Mrs Olusola Gbenga-Igotun, said the government was working to ensure the availability of family planning commodities at health facilities offering the services across the state.
She encouraged residents to seek family planning services from qualified health professionals at public health facilities, stressing the importance of informed decisions in improving health outcomes.
The ministry’s Family Planning Coordinator, Mrs Bukola Adekemi, said the meeting brought together relevant stakeholders, including frontline health workers, to develop strategies for sustaining and expanding H-IUD services.
Project Director of Jhpiego’s Hormonal IUD Project, Dr Hannatu Abdullai, said the intervention focused on training health workers, particularly frontline service providers, to equip them with the skills needed to provide the services.
She added that the project also raised awareness among women about the benefits of hormonal intrauterine devices, including their potential to reduce heavy menstrual bleeding.
Jhpiego’s Ekiti Team Lead, Dr Muriana Olotu, said the initiative was designed to improve women’s access to the contraceptive method and the services required for its use. She urged the state to sustain the gains recorded during the project and continue providing the services after its implementation period.
The Onise of Odo-Oro-Ekiti, Oba Babatunde Adebayo, encouraged residents to take their health seriously and adopt positive health-seeking behaviour. He commended the government and its development partners for the intervention, saying it would contribute to improving the health and well-being of residents, particularly women of reproductive age.
Activities at the meeting included presentations on the findings and lessons from the H-IUD implementation, discussions on service delivery challenges and opportunities, and a panel session on addressing misconceptions, raising awareness and promoting community acceptance of family planning.
Participants included policymakers, government officials, programme managers, development partners, traditional and religious leaders, master trainers, local government family planning supervisors and frontline health workers.
THE ISSUES
Expanding access to family planning requires more than making contraceptive commodities available. Health workers must have the skills to provide services, while women need reliable information to make informed decisions about their reproductive health.
Misconceptions and limited community acceptance can also affect the uptake of family planning methods, making public awareness and engagement with traditional and religious leaders important parts of service delivery.
WHAT’S NEXT
The focus will be on sustaining the gains of the hormonal intrauterine device project, maintaining the availability of family planning commodities and strengthening the capacity of health workers to continue providing the services across Ekiti State.
BOTTOM LINE
The Ekiti State Government and Jhpiego are seeking to widen access to hormonal intrauterine devices through health worker training, improved service availability and community awareness, with sustained implementation needed to maintain the project’s gains.
