Abuja: The Integrated Community Listening Survey, conducted by Nigeria Health Watch, has uncovered persistent barriers to Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), particularly affecting young adults and rural communities in Nigeria. Ms Anwuli Nwankwo, the Knowledge Management Lead at Nigeria Health Watch, disclosed these findings during the National Policy Dialogue on Improving Adolescent Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Services held in Abuja.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the survey was carried out between March and April 2025 across six Nigerian states: Lagos, Ebonyi, Cross River, Kano, Niger, and Borno, representing the country’s six geo-political zones. The event, themed ‘Improving Adolescent Access to Quality Sexual and Reproductive Health Services,’ was organized by Nigeria Health Watch and its partners.
Nwankwo highlighted that despite Nigeria’s longstanding commitment and programmatic investments in SRHR, significant barriers remain. The cross-sectional study, involving 414 participants, aimed to identify the reasons behind the stagnation in reproductive health progress. Alarmingly, the survey found that only 50 percent of participants reported having access to SRHR services, with younger individuals aged 18 to 34 facing the most significant challenges.
Primary healthcare centers were identified as the first point of contact for most participants; however, many of these facilities were unable to provide comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services. Cultural beliefs and a lack of awareness emerged as the most common barriers to accessing SRHR services. Other contributing factors included distance to health facilities, cost of services, inadequate funding, and limited human resources within the health sector.
Nwankwo noted that respondents aged 35 to 54 reported more pronounced barriers, although 81 percent of all respondents claimed they had not faced any challenges. The remaining 19 percent cited socio-cultural and informational obstacles as major hurdles. The survey also underscored the systemic challenges faced by younger participants in realising their reproductive rights, with maternal and infant mortality, unintended pregnancies, and policy implementation gaps identified as key consequences.
Nwankwo emphasized the urgent need for targeted and culturally sensitive approaches to address these issues. She urged the government and development partners to prioritize investment in awareness campaigns, community engagement, and health system strengthening. Additionally, she recommended expanding SRHR education through culturally appropriate communication strategies and leveraging mobile health solutions to reach remote areas.
The survey’s findings, while providing critical insights, also pointed to limitations such as the lack of qualitative depth and absence of health provider perspectives. Nwankwo stressed the need to understand if the lack of awareness was due to weak public campaigns or community gatekeepers restricting information flow.
NAN reports that these findings offer a foundation for more data-driven, inclusive policymaking aimed at bridging the access gap and strengthening Nigeria’s commitment to ensuring SRHR. The National Policy Dialogue aims to address the high adolescent fertility rate and the low uptake of modern contraceptives among sexually active, unmarried adolescent girls.