UNFPA hosts hackathon in Lagos to tackle family planning issues

The United Nations Family Planning Agency (UNFPA) has organised a hackathon to raise innovative ideas on family planning issues in Nigeria.

The hackathon held in Lagos on Tuesday, in collaboration with the Microsoft engineering team and the federal ministry of health and social welfare.

At the event, 17 creative minds pitched ideas on improving the family planning programme in the country.

The best innovations would be funded and mentored by the agency.

Speaking at the event, Esther Somefun, gender and reproductive health analyst and the officer-in-charge (OIC) UNFPA Lagos liaison office, said over 31,000 women could be saved with adequate family planning.

Somefun said the hackathon is focused on generating innovative solutions that promote family planning services for women and young people.

“No one deserves to die because she wants to give birth to another living thing,” Somefun said.

“Access to family planning information and services is critical and vital, as case studies have shown that 3.5 million pregnancies could be avoided, and more than 31,000 women saved on time if all women were able to plan their families and have access to family planning.

“I know that the contestants have put together a lot in their innovations, and I wish them well as they present their innovation.

“I hope and look forward to having one homegrown solution that will help Nigeria meet the family planning needs of our women.”

Fumilayo Adelakun, one of the successful contestants, expressed her appreciation to the agency for an opportunity to make an impact.

She said her team’s unique proposition was incorporating the period tracker into the innovation — where women can track their menstrual cycle to help them prevent pregnancy.

“I feel very proud and very excited about this opportunity. Our project is ContraTech, which is contraceptive and technology,” Adelakun said.

“We intend to make use of an already existing app, whereby females track their period, and incorporate family planning services.

“And then there is also an option, just like the way Jumia works, so you have an option to order a contraceptive suitable to them.

“There is also an option where you get to ask an expert which contraceptive is suitable for one before ordering. I think that was our unique selling proposition.”

Akinkunmi Akinbajo, the maternal health/family planning analyst at UNFPA, expressed joy that participants proposed innovative ideas to tackle family planning, despite their financial constraints.

“This is very lovely to know that we have teams of young people with potential,” Akinbajo said.

“For us it’s a synergy because we are promoting and encouraging them to be innovative and sustainable on their own.

“That is human capital development. At the same time, they’re trying to solve problems within the family planning space, and to promote uptake of family planning, as well as eliminating the barriers to family planning.

“It is also quite innovative for us and very important, because it’s reaching about two of our three major mandate areas. Despite the fact that they don’t have resources, they can think it through.

“Imagine if they find themselves in better climes in high resource areas, the kind of innovations they will come up with.”

He urged women to take family planning seriously, as it saves lives and reduces maternal mortality.

“Family planning saves the lives of our women,” he added.

“If women use family planning, then we would be able to reduce maternal mortality. This singular intervention reduces maternal mortality by 30 percent.”