Embrace Family Planning For Increased Development Opportunities – IMF To Kenya
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has advised Kenya to implement family planning methods in order to meet its development objectives.
In a working paper titled Exploring the Role of Public Expenditure in Advancing Female Economic Empowerment and Gender Equality, published on May 24, the multilateral lender identified family planning as one of the most cost-effective development initiatives.
Aside from allocating funds for further development activities, family planning was viewed as a vital strategy for preserving mothers and decreasing childbirth-related problems.
It was also claimed that the move would save the lives of newborns and children.
“Kenya, Nigeria, and Senegal could each increase per capita income by 8 to 13 percent by meeting one-third of the unmet need for family planning in 2030,” the paper indicated.
According to the IMF research, overseas donors provided the majority of the funding for family planning.
“In 69 countries tracked, nearly half (48 percent) of family planning funding came from international donors, with 35 percent from domestic governments and 17 percent through out-of-pocket spending,” the paper read in part.
The report argued for the case of family planning in Kenya, pointing out that in high-income nations, a woman’s lifetime risk of maternal death is one in 5,400.
This is a sharp contrast to Kenya and other impoverished countries, where the lifetime risk is one in 45.
According to the study, money invested in family planning will result in concrete economic gains in the long run, allowing Kenya to enjoy increased development opportunities.
“Every USD1 spent on addressing unmet needs for contraceptives may yield USD120 in accrued health and economic benefits from reducing maternal and infant mortality and unintended pregnancies,” it was reported.
According to the United Nations Population Fund, Kenya wants to achieve 64% modern contraceptive prevalence rates (mCPR) by 2030.
Embrace Family Planning For Increased Development Opportunities – IMF To Kenya
