Ouagadougou Partnership: finding ways and strategies to better relaunch the mission

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Extract from the article: The Ouagadougou Partnership Coordination Unit (PCU) organised the 6th edition of the « Donors' Caravan » from 24 to 28 April 2023. The Donors' Caravan is a flagship activity of the OP and provides an opportunity to exchange with civil society actors,

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The Ouagadougou Partnership Coordination Unit (PCU) organised the 6th edition of the « Donors' Caravan » from 24 to 28 April 2023. The Donors' Caravan is a flagship activity of the OP and provides an opportunity to exchange with civil society actors, young people, the private sector and to advocate with high public authorities. In this context, a working session with partners, donors, civil society actors, the private sector and media professionals was held on Monday 24 April in Lomé. This meeting is part of the re-launch of family planning activities and the implementation of budgeted national action plans.

After three years of interruption due to Covid-19, the Ouagadougou Partnership Coordination Unit (OP) plans to relaunch its interventions and missions. To this end, it held an exchange and sharing session with partners, donors and civil society in Lomé. The objective is to identify shortcomings and seek appropriate solutions for missions that will be carried out in the field. Family welfare is a major concern of the OP because it represents a key element in the development of a country.

These exchanges were an opportunity for the participants and the organisers to evaluate the activities carried out over the last few years in Togo. It was also an opportunity to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the Ouagadougou partnership and to put in place mechanisms and strategies to achieve the targeted objectives.

During the discussions, the Director of the Ouagadougou Partnership Coordination Unit, Marie Ban, presented the results of activities carried out since 2015 on family planning. According to the director, the results of its activities carried out in recent years in communities in Togo have not been satisfactory.  « The choice of Togo was a priority for us, because the achievement of the objectives has been relatively difficult in recent years, and we would like with this caravan of donors and its various partners to see how we can help Togo to achieve the goals we have set for 2030 », she said.

During these discussions, the speakers, like Noélie Koevi-Koudam, Executive Director of the Togolese Association for Family Welfare (ATBEF), also congratulated the organisers for these exchanges.

The Ouagadougou Partnership (OP) is a partnership between the nine French-speaking countries of West Africa (Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Togo). It aims to put all the mechanisms in place to address family planning needs in the sub-region. In recent years, the OP has increased the number of modern contraceptive users by more than 4 million. All this would enable the organisation to save the lives of many women and reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies. It will also help reduce unsafe abortions to create more prosperous communities. 

Joseph GANGUI