Birth control in Africa

Access to safe and adequate sexual and reproductive healthcare constitutes part of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as upheld by the United Nations.

[7][8] The main problems that prevent the use of birth control are limited availability (especially among young people, unmarried people, and the poor), high cost, limited choice of birth control methods, lack of knowledge on side-effects, spousal disapproval or other gender-based barriers, religious concerns, and bias from healthcare providers.

[12] There is evidence that increased use of family planning methods decreases maternal and infant mortality rates, improves quality of life for mothers, and stimulates economic development.

[27][35] In Eastern Africa, the unmet need is attributed to socioeconomic variables, including the family planning program environment and reproductive behaviour models.

"[13] Referring to family projects that are underway in the Democratic Republic of Congo, an advisor to the United Nations Population Fund, Frederick Okwayo, stated that "the logistics of providing care is difficult because of the bad infrastructure.

"[37][38] A lack of infrastructure, resulting from minimal governmental funding and a limited number of health clinics in some areas, create prominent barriers to accessing birth control.

[37] An analysis of birth rates and fertility in Ghana, found that without effective contraception, "the total number of children a woman bears is principally a function of the age at which childbearing begins.

Some of the factors identified that prevented use of modern birth control methods in a 2008 study in Nigeria were "perceived negative health reaction, fear of unknown effects, cost, spouse's disapproval, religious belief and inadequate information.

[42] Fatimata Sy, who directed the Ouagadougou Partnership that launched in 2011 to increase the use of modern contraception across Africa, explained that the biggest hindrances to the movement were religion, social and gender norms and cultural taboos.

"[40] In most African countries, only a few types of birth control are offered, which makes finding a method that fits the reproductive needs, of a couple or an individual, difficult.

[53] In Northern Ghana, payment of bridewealth in cows and sheep signifies the wife's obligation to bear children, which results in an ingrained expectation toward a woman's duty to reproduce.

[54] Child and forced marriages, a human rights breach that remains particularly high in Sub-Saharan African countries, limit female autonomy and often result in a culture that prevents women and young girls from feeling in control of their reproductive health.

[59] Other forms of communication to convey sex-related messages, include music, wearing specific waist beads, acting in a certain way, and preparing desired meals.

[59] In 1992, the executive director of the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), James Grant, stated that "Family Planning could bring more benefits to more people at less cost than any other single technology now available to the human race.

[14] Although, there was no observed effect on overall child mortality, possibly due to a recent overall decrease in childhood death rates among both contraceptive users and non-users.

[14] Having unprotected sex in nearly all countries of Africa, especially at an early age, is associated with an increased risk of acquiring sexually transmitted diseases, most prolifically being HIV and AIDS.

[13] Alexandra Alvergne states that another benefit of longer birth intervals due to contraception use is an increase in parental investment and proportion of resources dedicated to each child.

[72] An increase in the use of family planning results in economic improvements; women are more likely to stay in work and have the socio-economic foundations to support the development of their children.

[73] Family planning results in an estimated 140-600% return on investment due to a reduction in health care spending and the fostering of financial agency.

[15][16] A study titled, 'The Economic Case for Birth Control in Underdeveloped Nations', published in 1967, argues that decreasing the birth rate in countries with high fertility levels is crucial to economic growth and that "one dollar used to slow population growth can be 100 times more effective in raising income per head than one dollar to expand output.

[76] Some believe that one economic downside to using birth control and preventing pregnancy, is the possibility that parents will not have enough successful, living offspring who can support them in old age.

[57] South Africa, Botswana, and Zimbabwe have successful family planning programs, but other central and southern African countries continue to encounter difficulties in achieving higher contraceptive prevalence and lower fertility rates.

[27] Recently, a new approach that promotes spousal discussion of contraception has been proposed as a policy strategy to narrow the gender gap in wanting to have children.

[79] Recommendations were made to governments in countries throughout Africa, to prioritise sexual and reproductive health services and make family planning universally accessible.

[80] In 2000, the London Summit on Family Planning attempted to make modern contraceptive services accessible to an additional 120 million women in 69 of the world's poorest countries by the year 2020.

[18] The United Nations created the 'Every Woman Every Child' initiative in 2010 to assess the progress toward meeting women's contraceptive needs and modern family planning services.

In recent years, the Government of Ethiopia has worked hard to improve healthcare in line with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.

[37][87] A start-up called Kasha, allows citizens in Rwandan villages to order condoms and contraceptives via text message and delivers them with a moped.

[45] Hassan believes that birth control access will help improve Tanzania's economic prospects, and urges women to want and to have less children.

[13] The decrease in fertility rates in Ghana is largely attributed to investment in education that has caused an increase in age at first birth and improved job opportunities for women.