Family planning programmes and their impact on fertility: experience of the developing world and prospects for their implementation in Africa

Reduction in international funding and curtailment of many family planning programmes contributed to a mass standstill of fertility in Tropical African countries at high levels in the second half of the 1990s that led to accumulation of an enormous demographic inertia and a sharp increase in the projected population growth. Satisfying the already existing demand for family planning services in Tropical African countries should become an evident priority direction for actions to support development of the region. The article considers the experience of Ethiopia, which has recently managed to achieve a remarkable success in reduction of fertility by means of effective national family planning programmes.