A sexual and reproductive health and rights expert, Jessica Oga, has expressed concern over the consequences of President Donald Trump’s incineration of contraceptives and other birth control pills meant for Nigeria and other African countries. Ms Oga said the action could result in thousands of unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortions on the continent.
“The loss of these contraceptives will directly affect women’s ability to prevent unintended pregnancies,” said Ms Oga in an interview on Sunday. “Estimates suggest that halting the distribution of these commodities could result in over 170,000 unintended pregnancies and tens of thousands of unsafe abortions in Africa alone.”
She noted that for Africa, this “signals that reproductive care remains vulnerable to donor conditionalities rather than safeguarded within African-led systems” and that instruments such as the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the Maputo Protocol “affirm reproductive autonomy as a right”.
Ms Oga added, “The decision to incinerate commodities disregards this normative consensus and highlights the need for Africa to reduce dependence on unpredictable aid.”
Mr Trump destroyed contraceptives, intrauterine devices, hormonal implants, and other birth control medications worth $10 million, asserting the administration would no longer be responsible for financing procedures and pills that are not “lifesaving” in low-income countries.
The U.S. president’s decision came despite overtures from organisations, including the United Nations, Gates Foundation, and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, offering to buy the contraceptives.
Ms Oga, the head of regionalism at Afya na Haki, an African research and training institute in Uganda, said the decision would have far-reaching consequences for vulnerable women and girls, especially in rural African countries that struggle to access care.
She further stated that health systems already struggling with commodity stock-outs would also face heightened pressure, adding that the consequences would undo years of progress in family planning services and reproductive health outcomes.
According to her, limiting access to contraceptives pushes women into unsafe procedures and raises mortality risks.
“Vulnerable groups such as adolescents, displaced populations, and the rural poor will be disproportionately affected as they have the least access to alternative sources of care,” Ms Oga explained. “Maternal mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa is heavily linked to unsafe abortion and unmet need for contraception. Research consistently shows that ensuring universal access to modern contraceptives could reduce maternal deaths by at least one-quarter.”
While noting that Mr Trump’s action exemplifies larger politics of control over African women’s bodies, the expert charged African countries to own their reproductive health agenda rooted in Africentric approaches that safeguard the dignity, equality, and lives of women and girls.
“African states and regional bodies should strengthen pooled procurement systems, create buffer stocks, and expand domestic financing for reproductive commodities to reduce reliance on external donors.
“Emergency mechanisms such as UNFPA Supplies can help bridge immediate gaps, but long-term resilience requires African-led financing and accountability. Legal frameworks grounded in the Maputo Protocol must also be enforced to ensure that women’s reproductive rights are not subject to foreign political fluctuations,” Ms Oga advised.
