The Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Movement in Nigeria has called attention to the significant gaps that persist between Nigeria’s policy commitments and the reality faced by millions of women, girls, and vulnerable populations in the country.
Lawyer, development practitioner, and coordinator of the SRHR Movement, Confidence Ezeala, said this while speaking on systemic health disparities, discriminatory laws, and shrinking global development funding as major factors jeopardising reproductive healthcare access across Nigeria.
“Although Nigeria has progressive policy commitments — including the National Health Act, the National Gender Policy, and the Maputo Protocol — implementation and accountability remain uneven.
“Women, young people, persons with disabilities, and conflict-affected communities face severe barriers intensified by gender inequality, harmful social norms, and anti-rights legislative pushes,” Ezeala said.
As part of efforts to address the challenges, civil society organisation (CSO) leaders are gearing up for a major national intervention to transform the country’s Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) landscape.
To sustain the momentum, the coalition is calling for strategic co-sponsorships with local development partners and the private sector, emphasising that a healthy population directly underpins economic stability.
“A safe and empowered population is the foundation of a strong economy. We are inviting private sector leaders and partners to join us — whether through session sponsorships or showcasing solutions in our Innovation Hub — to help define the future of reproductive justice in Nigeria,” Ezeala said.
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Ezeala heads the SRHR Movement, registered as the Safe Reproductive Health and Rights Network, serving as a unifying platform for bodily autonomy in the country.
She said the second annual national SRHR conference, scheduled for November 4-5, 2026, in Abuja, aimed to address SRHR challenges in Nigeria.
Key technical tracks during the two-day Abuja summit will focus on enforcing pan-African SRHR obligations, expanding reproductive care in humanitarian settings, leveraging safety technology, and sustaining youth-led feminist movements.
Furthermore, Ezeala said that the national gathering comes at a critical juncture marked by shrinking international aid allocations for reproductive health across the Global South.
Addressing the financial outlook, she highlighted the movement’s pivot toward self-sustaining and locally led models.
The SRHR Movement, conceived in 2019 by the Lawyers Alert Justice Initiative with support from AmplifyChange, has expanded to include more than 100 civil society organisations (CSOs) across all 36 Nigerian states.
Ezeala noted that, over the years, the network has driven grassroots mobilisation, supported the establishment of Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs), and led legal advocacy targeting sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) alongside harmful cultural practices.
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