In Kampala, the World Health Organization (WHO), alongside Uganda’s Ministry of Health and other stakeholders, disseminated the Family Planning Bottleneck Analysis Report, a rapid assessment identifying barriers to scaling up evidence-based family planning practices in the country. The study, conducted in collaboration with Makerere University School of Public Health and UNFPA, adapted the WHO global protocol to Uganda’s context to ensure sustainable and locally relevant solutions.
Uganda has made notable progress in family planning through initiatives such as the 2020 Family Planning Costed Implementation Plan II and commitments under Family Planning 2030. Between 2016 and 2022, the modern contraceptive prevalence rate among women of reproductive age rose from 27.3% to 29.8%, while the unmet need for family planning declined from 28.4% to 18.5%. Despite these gains, challenges remain, including a high total fertility rate of 5.2 children per woman, teenage pregnancies affecting 23.5% of girls aged 15–19, and only 2% of mothers receiving immediate postpartum family planning services.
The report highlighted persistent barriers, such as inadequate financing for social and behavioral change communication, health system weaknesses including supply and human resource constraints, and insufficient policy guidance to support task sharing and equitable service delivery. Addressing these bottlenecks is critical to scaling up effective family planning services.
Recommendations from the report include strengthening provider training and mentorship, improving contraceptive supply chains, integrating social and behavior change communication indicators into the Health Management Information System, and developing comprehensive policies to support task-sharing. Strengthened leadership, improved financing, enhanced commodity management, and increased community engagement are emphasized as necessary measures for improving outcomes.
WHO reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Uganda in expanding family planning coverage through technical assistance, policy review, and capacity building. The report underscores that by addressing systemic barriers and investing in evidence-based solutions, Uganda can accelerate progress toward universal access to family planning, ultimately transforming the health and well-being of communities across the country.
