The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) are partnering to strengthen maternal health and drive economic growth across Africa.
The partnership was formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on the sidelines of the AfDB Annual Meetings in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo on Tuesday.
The agreement sought to position maternal health and demographic resilience as key pillars of Africa’s economic transformation.
The President of the AfDB, Sidi Ould Tah, said that both organisations under the partnership would explore innovative financing and implementation mechanisms to support investments in women and young people.
He said that the areas of focus included digital training for health workers, climate-resilient health infrastructure and stronger health information systems.
The Executive Director of the UNFPA, Diene Keita, said that Africa’s economic progress depended on investment in women’s health.
“Economic progress for Africa is only possible if we prioritise women’s health and address preventable maternal deaths,” she said.
Keita described the renewed partnership as a shared commitment to place maternal health and human capital development at the centre of Africa’s transformation agenda.
According to her, Africa has made significant progress in reducing maternal mortality, although major challenges remained.
She identified financing gaps, unequal healthcare access and structural obstacles as key barriers affecting maternal healthcare delivery.
Since 1992, UNFPA and the AfDB have collaborated on strengthening health systems and supporting data-driven development across Africa.
Their interventions include improved maternal healthcare services in Cameroon and population data modernisation in Côte d’Ivoire.
According to the statement released at the ongoing Annual Meetings of the AfDB, which opened on Monday, the partnership also supported reproductive health and climate adaptation programmes in Madagascar and other African countries.
GIK/APA