Africans should stop stigmatising infertile women – Aisha Buhari

Aisha Buhari

First Lady Aisha Buhari has called for an end to the stigma which infertile women in Africa face.

Speaking during a panel discussion of African First Ladies on the challenges of building healthcare capacity in Africa, Mrs Buhari expressed her concern on the need for African societies to make progress and change their mindset regarding women with infertile problems.

[ads]

“I want to use this opportunity to call on African societies to desist from the mindset which tends to see women’s infertility as an abnormal condition.

“And the associated stigmatisation and abuse that usually characterize such situation that is capable of being addressed through medical healthcare and modern science,” she said according to her spokesperson, Aliyu Abdullahi, on Tuesday.

The event, which was co-chaired by the first lady of Ghana where the event was held, Rebecca Akufo-Addo, was the sixth edition of Merk Africa-Asia Luminary/More Than A Mother Initiative organised for African first ladies.

Buhari advocated the need for increased women empowerment, counselling and providing medical support to women with infertility problem.

[ads]

The first lady said that NGOs, the Aisha Buhari Foundation (ABF) and the Future Assured Programme has empowered many women through medical support and incoming generating activities in Nigeria, in line with her promise during the 2017 edition of MERK Foundation Initiative.

“The Aisha Buhari Foundation had specifically identified and empowered more than 200 infertile Women within this period in addition to offering them medical treatment for fertility and providing them with counselling,” she said.