The Lagos State Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Society for Family Health (SFH) and the Gates Foundation, has inaugurated the SWIFT Project to enhance women’s health and socioeconomic well-being.
Dr Kemi Ogunyemi, Special Adviser to the State Governor on Health, said this at the SWIFT Project Stakeholders Inception Meeting on Wednesday in Lagos.
The event was titled, “Increasing Women’s Access to Family Planning Through Pharmacies and Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendors”.
Strengthening Women’s Initiatives for Family Planning and Technology (SWIFT) is a multi-sectoral initiative focused on empowering women through improved access to reproductive health services, financial literacy, digital innovation, and health technology.
The initiative, which would be implemented through pharmacies, patent and proprietary medicine vendors, seeks to improve access to family planning services in Lagos, especially in hard-to-reach communities.
Ogunyemi noted that in spite notable progress in recent years, many women and girls in Lagos State still faced the barrier of accessing modern contraceptive methods, particularly in the underserved communities.
She highlighted the barriers to include distance, cost, stigma, and limited availability of trained providers at the point of care.
“By bringing family planning services closer to the people through the vast and trusted network of pharmacies and patent, proprietary medicine vendors, this project is not only expanding access but also affirming the rights of women to make informed decisions about their reproductive health”.
She emphasised that the initiative aligns with the state’s THEMES+ agenda, particularly as it relates to improving universal health coverage, strengthening public and private collaboration, and achieving universal health coverage.
Ogunyemi asserted the state’s support for the integration of the community providers into the reproductive health delivery ecosystem, provided they are adequately trained, regulated, and accountable.
She commended the technical and funding partners who continue to invest in innovative people-centred solutions to improve reproductive health and maternal health outcomes in Lagos.
According to her, as many donors are withdrawing support in some states, the Gates Foundation consistently prioritises and increases investment in women’s and girls’ health initiatives.
Noting that the SWIFT project is a timely intervention for the state’s residents.
“As Special Advisor to Mr Governor on Health, I want to emphasise our commitment to ensuring that this initiative is not only successful but also sustainable.
“We will work closely with the Federal Ministry of Health, the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria, relevant regulatory agencies, and implementing partners to provide the necessary oversight, coordination, and support to achieve the desired impact,” Ogunyemi said.
Similarly, Dr Olusegun Ogboye, Permanent Secretary, Lagos Health Ministry, noted that family planning is not merely a health intervention but a transformative development strategy.
According to him, the strategy empowers women, stabilises families, reduces poverty and significantly improves health outcomes across communities.
Ogboye said the SWIFT project would build upon the success recorded by SFH’s IntegratE Project by equipping programme providers with the knowledge, tools, regulatory and financial assets they need to deliver high-quality services to women.
“The launch of this project today offers a practical and scalable solution to the persistent barrier that exists, especially in hard-to-reach areas and resource-limited settings,” Ogboye said.
He reiterated the ministry’s commitment to supporting the initiative through strong policy alignments, regulatory oversight and multi-stakeholder collaboration.
Also, Mr Olakunle Daramola, State Consultant, Gates Foundation, said the SWIFT project funded by the Foundation is a transformative solution to empower female entrepreneurs in advancing healthcare access through family planning support.
Daramola noted that the initiative was being implemented in Lagos, Kaduna and Kano based on the impact of past projects in the chosen states.
He commended the Lagos government and its partners for their unwavering dedication to improving health outcomes and creating opportunities for equitable health access, especially for women and girls.
The Managing Director, SFH, Omokhudu Idogho, said the SWIFT Project would expand access to family planning, public primary health care services and economic empowerment for women in Lagos.
Idogbo, represented by Kene Eruchalu, Deputy Managing Director, Programme Delivery, SFH, said SFH had implemented several health interventions in Lagos in its over 40 years of existence.
Similarly, Mrs Ummi Shehu, Programme Lead, SWIFT Project, said the initiative is a three-year programme funded by the Gates Foundation.
Shehu said the project would provide targeted interventions that address key areas of need, which include capacity building, financial linkages, and enhancing access to quality healthcare commodities through digital onboarding to the Virtual Medicine Input Organisation.
According to her, it will also improve women’s empowerment by supporting the formation of women-led clusters to facilitate collaboration, access to financing, and resource mobilisation.
Mrs Annie Onyipe, representative of the National Association of Patent and Proprietary Medicine Dealers in Nigeria (NAPPMED), lauded the initiative, stressing that it would assist its members to reach more women at the grassroots level.
Dr Taiwo Filusi of the Lagos Zonal Office, Pharmacy Council of Nigeria, commended the Gates Foundation for its efforts to improve family planning and technical knowledge of patent and proprietary medicine vendors.
Filusi emphasised that the project would improve Lagos state’s health indices and boost the socio-economic empowerment of medicine vendors, who he said were mostly women.
He urged the project implementers to engage only registered patent medicine vendors and incorporate community pharmacists into the project, stressing that they were critical stakeholders in the supply chain.
