**13. Recommendations**

dividends of low fertility levels. This will also make SDGs achievable. Continued political will

• Data collection and analysis are still problems coupled with weakened and dysfunctional health-care systems in virtually all countries across Africa. This makes monitoring and

• Persuading national governments to adjust their budgetary priorities to meet health requirements is one of the biggest challenges. Indeed, in 2001, African leaders made Abuja (Nigeria) declaration with a commitment to allocate 15% of public expenditure to health by 2015 [108]. Till date, there is still huge funding gaps as the health sector is heavily underfunded. • There is a need for broader attention to ever-increasing reproductive health needs including FP of women especially the cohort of women coming into motherhood or childbearing age. • Studies in SSA and around the world reveal a near universal knowledge on contraceptive methods, yet the practice has shown the contrary. So, addressing all or some of these barri-

• Expanding FP services in a variety of "right mix" of contraceptive commodity availability to the rural folk and hard-to-reach areas has still persisted and needs to be addressed.

• There is a need to link population pressure on both the built and natural environments to

• More research is needed on family planning: most studies are based on cross-sectional designs that cannot establish temporal sequence of cause and effect. Researches based on longitudinal data analysis methods or experiment or randomized control trial designs are needed to generate quality evidence that underscore important causal linkages between factors of interest and adolescent, maternal, child, family and population outcomes [109].

Over the past five decades, the use of FP methods has steadily increased in SSA with percentage of married women using modern contraceptives ranging between <20% and 69%. Unmet need for FP is unacceptably high. Despite near universal knowledge on contraceptives, practice remains low. Thus, there is a need for publicity campaigns through information, education and communication (IEC) to address social and cultural barriers to FP including

Since decision-making power still resides with men, creating an environment in which both sexes can seek services and encouraging men to discuss FP with their wives will go a long way in promoting service utilization. Contraceptives for spacing are the predominant forms of FP preferred in SSA and show that even within this population demand for contraceptives exists. So, campaigns and provision of services that frame contraception as a method to space births and improve maternal and child health may be more culturally acceptable to promote use. Contraception should be vigorously promoted in SSA not only for its demographic dividends

misconceptions, misinformation and myths about modern FP methods.

but also on socio-economic and health grounds and the attainment of SDGs.

reproductive health interventions as a national policy to FP service utilization.

and support are prerequisite for sustainability and acceptability of FP programme:

evaluation of programmes a challenging task.

ers responsible will significantly influence service uptake.

**12. Conclusion**

86 Family Planning

Important shift in political commitment and priorities together with good governance, adequate funding is needed to sustain FP programmes. Efforts need to be intensified to encourage partner communication and engagement in order to improve FP practice. Further, research is needed to address unmet needs for FP.
