Two decades of women's sexual and reproductive health and rights in Nigeria: Successes, challenges, and opportunities.

Abstract

With over 200 million people, 50% of Nigeria's population comprises women of reproductive age (15-49 years), making Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) invaluable in achieving SDGs 3 and 5 on health and well-being and gender equality, respectively. Although Nigeria's reproductive health indices have improved over the past two decades, some critical gaps must be closed. We examined SRHR trends in Nigeria using the Nigerian DHS data sets spanning 2003-2018. Key indicators examined included contraceptive prevalence, skilled assistance during delivery, child marriage, and female genital mutilation prevalence. Reducing maternal mortality rates, closing the quality and availability data gaps, equitably increasing the needed healthcare workforce, and systematically integrating a gender lens into programming remain key priority areas for action. Implementation research through gender transformative approaches is highly relevant in identifying, testing, and scaling effective and culturally appropriate interventions.