Fund family planning to fight insecurity in West Africa, gynaecologists tell governments

West African obstetricians and gynaecologists are urging governments to fund family planning, girls’ education and youth empowerment, saying unchecked population growth is deepening pressure on resources and worsening insecurity across the region.

The experts spoke at the fifth congress of the Association of West African Societies of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and the West African College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, held in Lagos from September 2 to 5, 2026.

In a keynote address titled “The Demographic-Security Nexus: Reproductive health, population Dynamics and Regional Stability in West Africa,” Professor Emmanuel Otolorin linked demographic trends and reproductive health choices to security crises. He said West Africa’s population stood at roughly 477 million in 2026 and could exceed one billion by 2100 if current trends continued.

“We have a population explosion in West Africa and limited resources,” Otolorin said. “When opportunities fail to keep pace with this population growth, the praised ‘demographic dividend’ turns into frustration, grievance, irregular migration, and widespread insecurity.”

The experts said population growth was placing pressure on food, water, land, infrastructure, schools, health facilities and jobs. They linked these pressures to displacement, forced migration, conflicts over land and water, farmer-herder clashes, communal violence and the recruitment of vulnerable young people by criminal and extremist groups.

Otolorin said only about 17% of women in West Africa use modern contraceptives, while 24% have an unmet need for family planning. He contrasted the regional picture with Cape Verde, where modern contraceptive use has reached 52% and fertility has fallen to 1.8, below replacement level. He said Nigeria remained in a critical position, with modern contraceptive use at 15%.

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We have a population explosion in West Africa and limited resources. In 2026, the population of West Africa stands at roughly 477 million, and by 2100, it is estimated to cross one billion. When opportunities fail to keep pace with this population growth, the praised ‘demographic dividend’ turns into frustration, grievance, irregular migration, and widespread insecurity.