Universal Access to the Female Condom Joint Programme (UAFC) Nigeria

The programme has three key components, including activities designed to create demand for female condoms, supply chain management for nationwide distribution, and the inclusion of female condoms in existing programmes and health services.

Overall, the initiative is designed for women and men of reproductive age, as well as new and existing users of family planning devices. The project uses different strategies to reach different groups. For example, unmarried boys and girls are difficult to reach through conventional distribution channels like pharmacies and public health centres. Informal channels, such as non-governmental organisations and peer educators, have been identified instead. Other specific sub-groups identified through the campaign are people living with HIV/AIDS, specific professions, youth, female sex workers, market women, and men and women in uniform.

The basic message of the initiative is dual protection against unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. The project seeks to include an element of pleasure in the marketing approach. For example, the brand of female condom under the programme in Nigeria is called "Elegance", and the tagline is "Free your mind...Enjoy".


The project uses a multiplicity of channels to reach out to its target audience. These include peer educators who work through small group sessions in market places, community meeting venues, and other areas of congregation. In the small group sessions, peers are taught negotiation skills, given information on how to use the female condom, and problems users may have with the female condom are addressed. The mass media component of the campaign uses mainly radio and billboards. Radio spots and a long running popular radio drama are also used as channels to increase knowledge and improve attitudes towards the female condom.

According to the project, there are still many challenges to the roll out of a female condom programme in Nigeria, including low acceptance of female condoms, lack of a base of satisfied users who can become advocates with their friends, myths and prejudices around female condoms, lack of male support, and problems around supply chain management. Efforts to address these challenges include involving men in campaign activities, reaching out to religious leaders, and adopting a flexible approach to product placement and interpersonal communication.

Family Planning, HIV/AIDS, Gender

SFH commenced implementation of the UAFC programme in Nigeria in 2008, and to date has sold over 500,000 female condoms.