Dakar, Senegal — The Ouagadougou Partnership’s members and the Coordination Unit (OPCU) are thrilled to welcome Marie Ba as its new Director. Marie has been a member of the OPCU for over three years, starting as the regional program manager for Advocacy and External relations before moving into the Deputy Director role in 2019. Ever since, Ms. Ba has demonstrated impressive leadership and not only kept the Partnership on track when the longtime Coordination Unit Director retired, but has helped the Partnership accelerate, bringing in new donor partners, including the British Department for International Development (DFID), and welcoming the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF). In just the past year, Ms. Ba has also forged and launched new strategies to better serve youth and to respond to growing humanitarian crises in West Africa that have and will continue to limit women’s access to life-saving family planning services. On top of it all, Ms. Ba has led a process to establish a vision and strategy for the Partnership through 2030, which will be launched soon.
Indeed, Ms. Ba has been widely praised by the Partnership’s many stakeholders as being a strong strategist, a fierce advocate, a polished communicator, and a personable and approachable leader. As one partner put it, “Over the last year, Marie embraced her role as Deputy Director and demonstrated incredible vision and leadership, refusing to let the OP slow down during a leadership transition. It became evident that this rising superstar was not a leader for the future, but a leader for now.”
Given her extensive experience and a track record of proven success, the Ouagadougou Partnership community is excited to have Ms. Ba lead the OPCU through 2020 and beyond.
“I’m delighted for this opportunity and being able to carry the OP and the OPCU into an exciting and ambitious new phase with a renewed vision currently being designed” Marie Ba said. “We have achieved a lot and the team and I are thrilled to keep addressing challenges for our countries to surpass their objectives and solidifying the OP as a successful model.”
Ba has a master’s degree in international development and peace/conflict resolution from the American University, Washington DC, as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Social Sciences from the University of Maryland-College Park. Her extensive experience in the West and Central Africa region spans the last twelve years in building partnerships and managing health programs, including communications and advocacy, program planning and implementation, financial management, oversight of grants and contracts.
Please join us in congratulating Marie Ba in her new role!
About the Ouagadougou Partnership
The Ouagadougou Partnership was launched in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso in February 2011 at the Regional Conference on Population, Development and Family Planning held by the nine governments of Francophone West African countries and their technical partners and financial resources to accelerate progress in the use of family planning services in Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Togo. The Ouagadougou Partnership is based on two principles. It bets on a better coordination between donors, to optimize their support to countries and also on collaboration and cooperation at national and regional levels to avoid high rates of unmet family planning needs.
Contact :
Djenebou Diallo,
Advocacy Manager
Tel: (221) 33 869 74 79
Email: ddiallo@intrahealth.org