A public health provider in Ghana said: “I noticed our contraceptive supplies dwindling, and there was a lot of confusion — women kept asking us what’s happening. We had to tell them the U.S. have cut everything. Some days we can only offer certain contraceptive methods, and other days there’s nothing we can give them. ‘But please, I don’t want to get pregnant,’ they say. All I can respond with is, ‘I’m so sorry.’”
Date: 1/26
Region: Africa
Country: Ghana
Topic: Health, Gender Equality & Inclusion
Policy Lens: Global Health Security
Entry Type: Field Observation
Additional Context: This testimony was given to MSI Reproductive Choices, an international NGO working on reproductive healthcare, in a survey conducted with their country offices. The quote, likely anonymized, is attributed to Lilian, a provider of contraceptive and reproductive services in Ghana’s public health system.
Devex Researcher Note: As of 2021, 88% of Ghana's Family Planning and Reproductive healthcare response was funded either by USAID, or the United Nations Population Fund, or UNFPA, to which the U.S. was the leading donor. USAID is estimated to have comprised 41% of global spending on contraceptives in Ghana between 2020 and 2024, with UNFPA delivering the other 59%.
Source: MSI