The ARO Strategic Plan outlines the seven elements necessary to fulfill the Millennium Development Goals.  

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Describes how PPD Africa builds on the African consensus for family planning and population programs and the strength of South-South cooperation.

Explains how the Millennium Development Goals cannot be achieved without better access to reproductive health. Describes Africa's unmet needs and Africa's success stories.

Download How the PPD Africa Regional Office Will Improve Sexual and Reproductive Health

Outlines the objectives of PPD ARO for 2008.

Download The PPD Africa Regional Office in 2008

Meeting Report from the 2007 Partner Country Coordinator meeting in Kampala, Uganda.

Download The 2007 PCC Meeting Report

The Maputo Plan of Action (PoA) for the Operationalisation of the Continental Policy Framework for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights 2007- 2010 is the concrete outcome of a special session of the African Union Conference of Ministers of Health, who met in Maputo, Mozambique in September 2006. Ministers of Health and delegates from 48 African countries unanimously agreed poor sexual and reproductive health is a leading killer in Africa. The goal of the Maputo Plan of Action is “universal access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services in Africa by 2015.”

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The Millennium Development Goals
At the United Nation’s Millennium Summit in 2000, world leaders agreed on a declaration that resulted in eight (8) Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which together form a policy framework for reducing extreme poverty by 2015 while increasing education, gender equality, health and environmental sustainability.

Sexual and reproductive health and rights are essential to the achievement of the MDGs, and are included as a target under MDG 5.

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The Accra Agenda
From September 2-4, 2008, donor countries, recipient countries, and civil society organizations met for a High Level Forum (HLF3) in Accra, Ghana to assess progress on the implementation of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness and to agree to an “agenda for action.” The Accra High Level Forum ended with the adoption of the Accra Agenda for Action (AAA) through which the international community reaffirmed its commitment to achieve progress in the implementation of the Paris Declaration and intensify efforts to attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

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Public health financing usually gives priority to the curative sector. Until 2003, Ethiopia was no exception to the expansion of higher-level health care services such as hospitals at the expense of primary health care (PHC) to serve the rural population of the country (more than 84 percent of Ethiopians live in rural areas). But in 2003, the Ethiopian Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) launched a new health care plan, the “Accelerated Expansion of Primary Health Care Coverage,” through a comprehensive Health Extension Program (HEP). Recognizing the huge gap between need and health care services available, the Ministry of Health has focused on “providing quality promotive, preventive, and selected curative health care services in an accessible and equitable manner to reach all segments of the population, with special attention to mothers and children. The policy places particular emphasis on establishing an effective and responsive health delivery system for those who live in rural areas.”

At the core of Health Extension Program implementation is a sizeable cadre of new Health Extension Workers (HEWs), who are trained in a one-year programme to implement a Health Extension Package of 16 healthcare activities at the kebele (village) level. By 2010, 30,000 health extension workers (HEWs), almost all young women from the communities they serve, will be trained and distributed in pairs to live and work at the village-level throughout the country.

As a preventive health program, the HEP promotes four areas of care: Disease Prevention and Control, Family Health, Hygiene and Environmental Sanitation, and Health Education and Communication. HEWs spend 75 percent of their time visiting families in their homes and performing outreach activities in the community. They spend the remaining 25 percent of their time providing services at the health posts, including giving immunizations and injectable contraceptives, among other health and educational services. The Health Extension Workers also work in close collaboration with voluntary workers, such as community-based reproductive health agents (CBRHA) to provide reproductive health and family planning services at the household level.

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Extensive research has indicated that South African public health facilities are failing to provide adolescent-friendly health services. This happens in the face of a big crisis where by with the current rate of HIV infection, more than 50% of South Africans under 15 today could die of AIDS related causes in the next 5-10 years.

The National Adolescent Friendly Clinic Initiative (NAFCI) is an accreditation program designed to improve the quality of adolescent health services at the primary-care level and strengthen the public sectors ability to respond to adolescent health needs. NAFCI is implementing an innovative approach to improving adolescent health services by making health services more accessible and acceptable to young people, establishing national standards and criteria for adolescent health care in clinics throughout the country, and building the capacity of health care workers to provide quality services.

Download the South African National Adolescent Friendly Clinic Initiative report in English

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Parliamentarians command considerable authority in legislation and policy formation while being deeply entranced in socio-political and cultural set-up of the countries, thus bridging between the leadership and people. Commitment of politicians to the ICPD Goals and MDGs as well as other emerging challenges in health, population and sustainable development is vital in addressing them successfully.

The Population Secretariat, together with Ministry of Health coordinates the implementation of the Reproductive Health Component of Country Population Program with an objective of improving policy environment for reproductive health in Uganda. As such, one of the identified stakeholders for POPSEC in this field are Members of Parliamentarian (MPs) that are key in influencing the health of the people within their constituencies.

Uganda’s Population Secretariat has partnered with members of the Uganda Parliament to support activities of the Standing Committee on HIV/AIDS and Related Matters, Committee on Social Services, and parliamentary groups including the Uganda Parliamentary Forum on Food Security, Population and Development and the Network of African Women Ministers and Parliamentarians (NAWMP).

Activities included supporting advocacy meetings to disseminate study findings, share experiences between MPs and technocrats, build consensus on key advocacy issues, and follow up on the developed action plans by MPs to assess progress on implementation. Uganda Population Secretariat also provided technical support to MPs, facilitated MP visits to health facilities, mobilized resources on the Parliamentary groups’ behalf, produced information bulletins for distribution to all MPs, and reached out to the media. The result of these activities has been improved knowledge at national and district levels, adolescent reproductive health friendly centers, new by-laws addressing population and reproductive health (e.g. local governments have passed by-laws to outlaw female genital cutting and early marriage), and MP oversight of Uganda’s roadmap to reduction of Maternal and neo-natal mortality.

Download the Uganda’s Population Secretariat’s Work with Parliamentarians report in English

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At the 38th Session of the UN Commission on Population and Development in 2005, countries were requested to strengthen the policy and programme linkages between HIV/AIDS and SRH. Consequently the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) Steering Committee requested the National Population Council to advise on how best to integrate HIV/SRH activities in the country. NPC led consultations with key stakeholders who constituted a Task Force. They included Ghana Health Service, (GHS), Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs, MoWAC), Ghana Education Service, (GES), Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) and the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment (MLGRD&E;) and reported to GAC. GAC requested NPC to coordinate the recommendations of the report.

The Task Force presented proposal to GAC in 2008 which aimed basically at harmonizing the implementation of integrated HIV/SRH programmes in the country. Members of the Task Force also agreed that the programmmes should be piloted in two districts where they will all work to achieve greater impact. The MLGRD&E; was to write to the districts to inform them of the integration programme and also to include integration activities in their budgets. The capacity of the Agricultural Extention Services Directorate of MoFA will be strengthened in advocacy, prevention and Behaviour Change Communication(BCC) on HIV/SRH. Furthermore MoWAC will use the Women’s Development Fund as entry point for providing women’s groups with information on HIV/SRH. GHS will prepare a checklist to assess the range of services and competence of service providers, provide technical support to Task Force members and review existing training modules and train trainers. GES will strengthen capacity of private schools in advocacy, prevention and BCC activities. The National Population council will coordinate and document best practices and submit report to GAC.  Activities would be implemented from 2008-2010. 

It is expected that comprehensive guidelines will be developed at the end of pilot phase. So far GHS has completed a checklist for assessing its services.

It is clear that establishing the necessary linkages and with partner agencies facilitates implementation of activites, increases impact and makes for effective utilization of resources. 

Contact the PCC for Ghana for more information

The International Conference on Population and Development-Programme of Action recommended the full integration of population variables into development planning. The Revised National Population Policy also recognized the interrelationship between population, sustained economic growth and development. Consequently the National Population Council in collaboration with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology with support from UNFPA developed fifteen training modules on various sectors including health, education, housing, water and sanitation etc. to facilitate the integration of population factors into development planning.  The National Population Council used the Modules to build the capacity of district assembly staff to enable them in practical ways integration population concerns into their district development planning process. Training began with the district planning officers and some budget officers  from the three northern regions. There have been training for some planning and budget officers in the other regions. Advocacy seminars were also organized for some District Chief Executives to solicit their support for the programme.

The result was that district personnel had been equipped with the requisite skills to enable them plan more effectively. Some districts have effectively utilized the Modules in the preparation of their district development plans. Awareness had also been created among stakeholders such as district chief executives and district coordinating directors on the need to integrate population into development planning.

The use of the integration modules makes planning easier and more realistic. The sensitization and involvement of the district chief executives and coordinators in the training facilitated the utilization of the modules. There are however difficulties with limited resources for training, high staff turnover at the district level, limited political commitment to integration of population factors into development. The Module are to be reviewed  and updated. 

The Integration Modules is recommended to all PCCs. It is however important to involve all stakeholders not only at the district level but at all levels. 

Contact the PCC for Ghana for more information