Nigeria
In 1965, Pathfinder helped establish the Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria and provided the first grant in family planning to the Nigerian Ministry of Health for pilot work in northern communities.
Then in 1988, USAID selected Pathfinder to manage the public-sector component of what was then Africa’s largest family planning and reproductive health program.
Based in Nigeria, this watershed program developed resources—a national family planning management information system, unique training curricula, and standards of practice—for trainers, nongovernmental organizations, and health care providers.
Today Pathfinder builds off of these experiences to aid the Nigerian government in saving mothers’ lives. Nigeria contributes to approximately 10% of worldwide maternal mortality, mostly due to uncontrolled postpartum hemorrhage and eclampsia.
"Pathfinder is committed to continually expanding access to sexual and reproductive health information and services, using high-impact interventions and innovative technologies,” said Dr. Farouk Jega, Pathfinder Nigeria’s Country Representative.
“That includes making sure they know the danger signs of pregnancy and have emergency plans in place, like determining who will donate blood or who has agreed to take them to the hospital.”
Building upon the success of our groundbreaking Continuum of Care program that advanced maternal and newborn health across Nigeria, Pathfinder is reaching more women than ever—from home to health facility.
With a rapidly rising population of over 177 million, Nigeria remains in dire need of health systems reform and increased access to health care to meet the needs of its increasing population.
Despite considerable gains in the past decade, Nigeria's reproductive health indicators are still very poor: 40,000 Nigerian women die from pregnancy-related causes every year, 62 percent of women give birth without a skilled birth attendant, and only 9 percent of married women use a modern method of contraception.
Pathfinder is committed to the people of Nigeria and their right to quality sexual and reproductive health care. We have partnered with governments and communities in more than half of Nigeria’s 36 states to find innovative solutions that ensure the most underserved populations can access the critical health services and information they need.
Our work began in Nigeria in 1965, when Pathfinder supported the establishment of the Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria.
Over the next 50 years, Pathfinder has remained dedicated to working in partnership with Nigerian leaders at every level to improve and integrate reproductive health, family planning, child survival, and basic education.
In 2007 through a grant from the MacArthur Foundation, Pathfinder introduced our innovative Clinical and Community Action Model, which is incorporated into Nigeria’s national Midwives Services Scheme and scaled up countrywide.
Today Pathfinder remains deeply invested in the implementation of programs led and owned by the people of Nigeria. Empowered with innovative technologies, stronger systems, and higher quality services, communities across Nigeria will drive lasting progress in sexual and reproductive health.
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Pathfinder Experts
Habeeb Salami
Family Planning & Reproductive Health Project Manager
Dr. Habeeb Salami is Pathfinder Nigeria's Family Planning & Reproductive Health Project Manager.
Justin Maly
Technical Advisor for mHealth
Justin Maly is Pathfinder's Technical Advisor for mHealth.
Farouk Jega
Country Representative in Nigeria
Farouk Muhammad Jega is Pathfinder's Country Representative in Nigeria.
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Our Projects
Building Blocks for FP2020 in Pakistan and Nigeria
Building Blocks for FP2020 supports and advances family planning in Nigeria and Pakistan, two countries that have made ambitious goals for improving access to reproductive health care in the next decade.
Scaling up Clinical and Community Action to Address Maternal Health in Nigeria
Pathfinder builds on its successful CCA-PPH Plus model to address the two leading causes of maternal mortality: postpartum hemorrhage and pre-eclampsia/eclampsia.
Community-Based Organization Capacity Building Project
PAST PROJECT: In Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda, Pathfinder aims to improve the capacity of community-based organizations to better prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
m4Change: Improving Service Delivery through mHealth in Nigeria
The m4Change project was launched in 2012 to improve the quality of services provided by community health workers through the deployment of a mobile phone antenatal care application designed to facilitate more accurate decision making.
Evidence to Action for Strengthened Family Planning and Reproductive Health Services for Women and Girls (E2A)
The Evidence to Action Project (E2A) is USAID’s global flagship for strengthening family planning and reproductive health service delivery.
Scale-Up of Gender Sensitive HIV and AIDS Prevention, Treatment and Care Support Interventions for Adults and Children in Nigeria
Pathfinder leads the PMTCT component of the project to reduce in HIV incidence in Nigeria of scaling up gender sensitive HIV prevention services for children and adults.
Related Publications
Without Fear or Boundary: Pathfinder International's 2015 Annual Report
Forging a new path is part of Pathfinder’s DNA. Last year, in 26 developing countries, we pushed through barriers to ensure millions of women, men, and young people are able to access critical sexual and reproductive health care and choose their own paths forward. Read more in our 2015 Annual Report.
mHealth as a Tool for Integrated Systems Strengthening in Sexual and Reproductive Health Programming
This technical brief describes and analyzes how Pathfinder uses mHealth for integrated systems strengthening in sexual and reproductive health programs in four countries: Mozambique, Tanzania, Nigeria, and Haiti.
Research and Evaluation Working Paper Series
The purpose of the Working Paper Series is to disseminate work in progress by Pathfinder International staff on critical issues of population, reproductive health, and development.
Assessment of the Quality of Antenatal Care Services Provided by Health Workers using a Mobile Phone Decision Support Application in Northern Nigeria
A pre/post intervention study assessing the effect of introducing a mobile case management and decision support application for antenatal care in northern Nigeria.