Dakar, Senegal – March 31, 2021 – The Ouagadougou Partnership Coordination Unit (OPCU) is pleased to announce that effective April 1st, 2021, its support services will gradually transition from Intrahealth International to Speak up Africa.
The OP beyond 2020 consultation process revealed a strong desire among countries, donors, and other partners to shift OPCU support services to a West African-headquartered and operated institution to increase local and regional ownership, and to allow the OPCU to act more swiftly on the ground. The expectation is to build new and stronger relationships with civil society, other West African organizations, and businesses.
The OP has always been supported by a dynamic Coordination Unit (OPCU) based in Dakar, Senegal. This transition will not affect the OPCU’s existing team and structure.
“This transition responds to the expressed desire of the majority of the Ouagadougou Partnership stakeholders” said Marie Ba, OPCU Director. “The Coordination Unit’s mandate of the Coordination Unit, its team, and its operations remain unchanged as it works to further align to the ambitious vision and objectives the OP has set for itself over the past year. Items such as human resources, IT, and other administrative and support services will transition from Intrahealth International to Dakar- based Speak Up Africa. I would like to address my team and I’s most sincere thanks to Intrahealth International and Speak up Africa who spared no effort to make this transition as seamless as possible, and the donors who supported this initiative.”
A review committee including OP country focal points, Intrahealth International (the OPCU’s host for almost a decade), FP2030, Civil Society and youth representatives unanimously selected Speak Up Africa as the new institutional host.
“Whether at a local, national or regional level, strategic partnerships and collaboration are crucial to improving health outcomes. This is why we are delighted to support the Ouagadougou Partnership which embodies these two key principles,” said Yacine Djibo, Executive Director and Founder of Speak Up Africa. “As public health champions, we are committed and determined to support the Partnership and work alongside the Ouagadougou Partnership Coordination Unit to achieve and accelerate efforts towards sustainable development in West Africa.”
IntraHealth International will gradually transition responsibility for support services during 2021. Effective April 1st, 2021 Speak up Africa will lead IT, human resources, administrative and financial support services and will take sole responsibility for providing the services by the end of 2021.
We look forward to partnering with Speak Up Africa in the coming months to ensure a smooth transition and seamless support to the OPCU team so they can continue their important work. We wish Speak Up Africa and OPCU continuing success as they work toward their vision to double the number of family planning users in francophone West Africa over the next decade.”
“We at IntraHealth International feel incredibly honored to have hosted the Ouagadougou Partnership Coordination Unit (OPCU) for the past decade. We’ve been thrilled to witness and contribute to the partnership’s success in reversing trends in family planning in the region—including adding 3.8 million new users of family planning—through the tireless coordination and advocacy efforts of our OPCU team,’’ said Polly Dunford.
The new OPCU address in Dakar is:
Ouagadougou Partnership Coordination Unit
Km 6 Avenue Cheikh Anta DIOP Immeuble Barouguy Fann Résidence, 3ème étage.
Additional information on the transition including new email addresses is available at: https://partenariatouaga.org/transition
About the Ouagadougou Partnership
The Ouagadougou Partnership was launched at the Regional Conference on Population, Development and Family Planning held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, in February 2011 by the nine governments of the Francophone countries of West Africa, together with financial and technical partners, with the aim to accelerate progress of 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 focuses on better donor coordination to maximize country support and also national and regional collaboration and cooperation to address the high unmet need for family planning.
Since its creation, the OP has contributed to adding more than 3.8 million additional modern family planning methods users in the 9 member countries. Its current goal is to reach 13 million modern methods users by 2030, thus doubling the current 6.5 million number.
The Ouagadougou Partnership Coordination Unit (UCPO), based in Dakar, Senegal, facilitates communication between countries and current and potential donors, helps monitor progress against OP objectives, fosters exchanges on family planning best practices between OP countries and shares information between stakeholders of the Partnership and wider audiences.
About Intrahealth International
IntraHealth International is a global health nonprofit that has worked in over 100 countries since 1979. We improve the performance of health workers and strengthen the systems in which they work so that everyone everywhere has the health care they need to thrive.
Because next-generation challenges in global health call for new and extraordinary partnerships, IntraHealth joins forces with governments, businesses, technologists, artists, activists, and more to cultivate local solutions with lasting results. IntraHealth’s programs generate long-term social and economic impact to keep communities around the world healthy, strong, and prosperous.
We focus on health workers. Without them, health care doesn’t happen.
About Speak up Africa
Headquartered in Dakar, Senegal, Speak Up Africa is a policy and advocacy action tank dedicated to catalyzing leadership, enabling policy change, and increasing awareness for sustainable development in Africa.
With ensuring health and well-being of all at our core, we support SDGs 1 to 6 in transforming societies throughout Africa and making sure every man, woman, and child is empowered to live a long and healthy life.
Through our platforms and relationships and with the help of our partners, we ensure that policy makers meet implementers; that solutions are showcased and that every sector – from individual citizens and civil society groups to global donors and business leaders – contributes critically to the dialogue and strives to form the blueprints for concrete action for public health and sustainable development.
Contact
Djenebou Diallo, Advocacy Manager
ddiallo@partenariatouaga.org
Murielle Anatohon, Program Manager EtriLabs
amurielle@etrilabs.com