Among Nigerian youths, there is a critical issue of unmet contraceptive needs resulting in early sexual activity; 12.7% before age ten and 17.3% between ages ten and fourteen, yet only one in four ever receives formal sex education. This information gap forces young people to rely on Google or peers, where they encounter conflicting, technical, or fear-inducing messages about side effects and fertility. At the same time, pervasive stigma and negative provider attitudes, where 64% of youth report judgment or denial when seeking contraception, and 77% of providers believe unmarried adolescents should not be sexually active, further shut them out of affordable, youth-friendly services. Cultural and religious norms intensify this isolation, with 84% of rural adolescents fearing being labelled “immoral” if they pursue family-planning support.

PlanWise is a digital health platform designed to bridge these gaps by combining the clinical rigour of a healthcare site with the welcoming feel of social media. It delivers accurate, private, expert-curated information in plain language through a robust FAQ section and myth-busting content. It also provides an anonymous peer blog where moderated stories, questions, and lived-experience narratives normalise sexual-health conversations and create a supportive community. PlanWise action toolkit empowers youth to take concrete steps through: a virtual one-stop shop to compare and order contraceptive products, an integrated locator and referral system for youth-friendly pharmacies, clinics, and telehealth providers, and a micropayment system called PlanWise Credits. Each new user receives 100 free credits and can earn more by referring peers or purchasing top-ups starting at just $2 per 100 credits, ensuring affordability and flexibility.

The potential impact of PlanWise cuts across individual, health-system, and societal levels. It empowers young people to make informed, confident decisions about family planning, reducing unintended pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections, and anxiety surrounding sexual health. At the health-system level, PlanWise decentralises service delivery, easing the burden on primary healthcare centres and generating data-driven insights into youth needs to inform policy and provider training. In the broader social context, the platform destigmatises adolescent family planning by promoting open dialogue through peer narratives and expert moderation, helping to shift cultural norms. Furthermore, a clear, phased roadmap, from pilot testing in receptive states in Nigeria to national scale-up, combined with a sustainable revenue model based on credits and partnerships, enables scalable growth across Nigeria and, eventually, the wider African continent.
