On the sidelines of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Annual Meetings in the Republic of Congo, UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) and the AfDB forged a renewed strategic alliance. The objective? To transform the African economy by investing heavily in women's health and demographic resilience.

For both institutions, reproductive health and equitable access to care are not simply health issues, but essential drivers of productivity and growth on the continent. It is by protecting women and empowering youth that Africa will be able to fully unleash its "demographic dividend."

“Africa’s economic progress remains contingent on our ability to make women’s health an absolute priority and to eradicate preventable maternal deaths,” stressed Diene Keita , Executive Director of UNFPA.

Addressing the structural challenges of the healthcare system

Despite the progress made in recent years, maternal mortality remains a concern due to a lack of funding, inequalities in access to care, and fragile infrastructure.

To reverse this trend, this new memorandum of understanding focuses on innovation and targets four priority areas:

1. Modernization and digitalization: Training healthcare staff using digital technologies.
2. Supply chains: Strengthening local production and distribution of medical devices.
3. Green infrastructure: Building health centers that are resilient to climate shocks.
4. Health data: Digitizing information systems for better medical monitoring.

Over 30 years of impact on the ground

This partnership is not new: the AfDB and UNFPA have been collaborating since 1992. Their joint actions have already proven successful across the continent, notably through:

1. The general population census in Ivory Coast to modernize demographic data.
2. Upgrading emergency obstetric and neonatal care in several districts in Cameroon .
3. Programs linking reproductive health and climate change adaptation in various regions.

The ambition now is to directly integrate the demographic transition into national budgets and financing strategies, thus enshrining women's health and rights as highly strategic economic investments for Africa's future.