Ouagadougou Partnership Research Agenda

The Ouagadougou Partnership (OP) was initiated in 2011 by the nine Francophone West African countries and their partners to reposition family planning as a national priority and to clear the backlog in this area. It has helped approximately four (4) million women access modern contraceptive methods in the eight (8) years of its implementation. Such a performance is reflected in the doubling of the contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) in most countries and the positioning of Francophone West Africa in the national, regional, and global reproductive health and family planning management bodies. 

Although the Ouagadougou Partnership (OP) countries accelerated their performances by increasing the number of additional women using modern contraceptive methods between 2012 and 2020, it should be noted that these countries are currently at a turning point as progress in the use of family planning services has been slowing down.

Why an OP research agenda ?

The implementation of the Ouagadougou Partnership’s research agenda is underpinned by several analyses. First, the slowdown in progress in the use of family planning services despite the sustained efforts from the governments and their partners that allowed for an accelerated performance in the number of additional women using modern contraceptive methods between 2012 and 2020. Second, the inadequate research on FP in Francophone West Africa reflecting the need for local research that will help policymakers develop and evaluate the impact of family planning policies. In addition, there is the limited use of existing data to inform FP policies and programs in the region as a great deal of research is not published or is in English and still not readily accessible to French-speaking people. Similarly, it should be noted that research is commissioned by the donors or nongovernmental organizations with little or no consultation with policymakers about their research needs. Finally, the OP community has decided, in its “Beyond 2020” strategy, to make research its operating mechanism and the compass for implementing programs towards achieving the 2030 objectives.

What are the objectives of the OP Research Agenda ?

The Ouagadougou Partnership’s research agenda has two main objectives:

1. To undertake and publicize important policy-relevant family planning research as requested by policymakers in OP countries. 
2. To provide West African researchers with the opportunity to build their skills by using their work to provide advice on health policies in West Africa.

What are the components of the OP Research Agenda ?

The research agenda of the Ouagadougou Partnership is structured around three interrelated components, including the Research Council, the creation of a network of research stakeholders, and the establishment of research grant funds. 

Priority Research Themes for Accelerating Family Planning Use in OP Countries

Identifying research themes based on the OP countries’ real needs is the cornerstone of the OP research agenda. The research themes have been selected through an inclusive and participatory process that have brought together nearly 70 participants from OP countries in Conakry, Guinea. These participants include national reproductive health directors, research officials from ministries of health, researchers, civil society organizations, including youth leaders, journalists, and technical and financial partners from Ouagadougou Partnership countries. A comprehensive mapping of potential themes collected from the researchers and the policymakers in the 9 OP countries has been reviewed by the workshop participants through group work. Then the plenary session of the workshop has retained about forty (40) themes and asked for the removal of the themes that have already been studied. Afterwards, the session has reviewed and prioritized the selected themes. After examination and proposal by the Research Council, seven (7) priority themes have been retained. These themes are likely to accelerate the creation of an FP-conducive environment and will be the subject of a call for proposals that will benefit from the OP grant. 

• Improving young people’s access to family planning: strategies for integrating social reality and influence of tradition (countries concerned: Niger, Bénin, Burkina Faso, Togo, Guinée)
• Strategies for integrating family planning into the minimum emergency mechanism in a situation of crisis (countries concerned: Mali)
• Mechanism for integrating family planning into the universal health coverage scheme: policies and approaches (countries concerned: Togo, Sénégal, Mauritanie)
• Promising approaches for scaling up the delegation of tasks (countries concerned: Niger, Sénégal, Mauritanie, Mali)
• Strategies for free family planning services (countries concerned: Bénin, Burkina Faso, Guinée, Côte d’Ivoire)
• Strategies for reducing discontinuity in the use of modern contraceptive methods by women and young girls (countries concerned: Bénin, Burkina Faso, Togo, Guinée, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire)
• Mechanisms for engaging the private sector in reproductive health funding (countries concerned: Niger, Mauritanie, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire)

Research Council Composition

• Donors:
  • Alain Damiba, USAID Senior Health Advisor in the West Africa Office
  • Noortje Verhart, Dutch Cooperation Advisor
• OP Government Representatives:
  • Harou Issoufou, Director-General of Public Health and Population of Niger
  • Dieney Fadima Kaba, National Director of Family Health and Nutrition of Guinea
• Civil Society Organization:
  • Françoise Sossou Agbaholou, Human Rights, Gender, and Development Consultant, National Coordinator of the WILDAF network, Benin
• Youth Organization:
  • Fatou Diop Sambé, Advocacy and Youth Program Manager, MSI Senegal
• Experts:
  • Cheikh Mbacke, Researcher at the Regional Research Consortium on Generational Economics (CREG), University of Thiès, Senegal
  • Georges Guiella, Demographer, Deputy Director at the Institute of Population Sciences of Joseph Ki-Zerbo University in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Context

Initiated in 2011 by the nine Francophone West African countries and their partners to reposition Family Planning (FP) among national priorities and address the lag in this field, the Ouagadougou Partnership (OP) achieved the addition of 3.8 million modern contraceptive users from 2011 to 2020, more than doubling the initial total of 2.7 million. As expected, progress has slowed as the OP reached the “easier” user segments. New strategies are needed to sustain strong growth. Therefore, the OP community, in its “Beyond 2020” strategy, decided to make research the operational device and compass for implementing programs to achieve the 2030 objectives. One of the pillars of the research component is the Research Council, an advisory body composed of stakeholders.

Research Council Objectives

The Research Council provides advice to OPCU to:

• Identify relevant research needs for policies
• Implement project selection criteria
• Select funding proposals
• Review project outcomes

Roles and Responsibilities of the Research Council

The Research Council consists of eight members representing donors, government focal points, youth, and regional experts in SR/FP research. They serve a two-year term. Council members are responsible for:

• Participating in research council meetings
• Reviewing submitted documents

The OPCU provides the secretariat and facilitates council meetings. In this capacity, it is responsible for:

• Preparing an agenda and necessary documents before the meeting
• Facilitating dialogue and reflection among council members
• Providing all necessary materials and documents for participants
• Recording minutes of each meeting
• Defining next steps
• Disseminating information to everyone

Meeting Schedule

Research Council meetings will be held quarterly.

Composition du Conseil de Recherche

• Bailleurs :
  • Alain Damiba, Conseiller Santé senior au bureau Afrique de l’Ouest de l’USAID
  • Noortje Verhart, Conseillère à la Coopération Néerlandaise

• Gouvernement du PO :
  • Harou Issoufou, Directeur Général de la Santé Publique et de la Population du Niger
  • Dieney Fadima Kaba, Directrice Nationale de la Santé Familiale et de la Nutrition de la Guinée

• Organisation de la société civile :
  • Françoise Sossou Agbaholou, Juriste consultante en Droits humains, genre et développement, Coordonnatrice nationale du réseau WILDAF, Bénin

• Organisation des jeunes :
  • Fatou Diop Sambé, Responsable plaidoyer et programme jeune, Sénégal

• Experts :
  • Cheikh Mbacke, Chercheur au Consortium régional de Recherche sur l’Economie Générationnelle (CREG), Université de Thiès, Sénégal
  • Georges Guiella, Démographe, Directeur Adjoint à l’Institut Supérieur des Sciences de la Population de l’Université Joseph Ki-Zerbo de Ouagadougou au Burkina Faso

Contexte

Initié en 2011 par les neuf pays francophones de l’Afrique de l’Ouest et leurs partenaires pour repositionner la Planification Familiale (PF) parmi les priorités nationales et résorber le retard de ces pays dans ce domaine, le Partenariat de Ouagadougou (PO) a permis de 2011 à 2020, d’ajouter 3,8 millions d’utilisatrices de contraception moderne, doublant ainsi plus que le total au départ (2,7 millions). Comme prévu, la progression a ralenti depuis que le PO a atteint les tranches « plus faciles » d’utilisateurs. Il y a un besoin de nouvelles stratégies pour continuer la forte croissance. Ainsi, la communauté du PO, dans sa stratégie « au-delà de 2020 », a décidé de faire de la recherche son dispositif d’opération et la boussole de la mise en œuvre des programmes pour l’atteinte des objectifs 2030. L’un des piliers du dispositif du volet recherche est le conseil de recherche qui un organe consultatif composé des parties prenante.

Objectifs du Conseil de Recherche

Le Conseil de Recherche fournit des conseils à l’UCPO pour :

• Établir les besoins de recherche pertinents pour les politiques 
• Mettre en œuvre les critères de sélection des projets 
• Sélectionner les propositions de financement
• Examiner les résultats à la fin du projet

Rôles et responsabilités du Conseil de Recherche

Le Conseil de Recherche est composé de huit membres qui sont les représentants des bailleurs de fonds, des points focaux gouvernementaux, des jeunes, des experts régionaux de la recherche sur la SR/PF. Ils ont un mandat de deux ans. Les membres du conseil de santé sont chargés de :

• Participer aux réunions du conseil de recherche
• Réviser les documents soumis

L’UCPO assure le secrétariat et la facilitation des réunions du conseil. A ce titre, elle est chargée de : 

• Préparer un agenda et les documents nécessaires avant la réunion 
• Faciliter le dialogue et la réflexion entre les membres du CR 
• Fournir tous les matériaux et les documents nécessaires pour les participants
• Faire le compte rendu de chaque réunion 
• Définir les prochaines étapes 
• Faire circuler l’information à tout le monde

Tenue des réunions

Les réunions du Conseil de Recherche se tiendront trimestriellement.