February 19, 2025 (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia): The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in partnership with AUDA-NEPAD have launched the Africa Demographic Dividend and Sexual and Reproductive Health (A2DSRH) Programme at an ongoing Regional Meeting in Addis Ababa.
The newly signed 5-year A2DSRH Programme was officially launched by Dr. Mariamawit Asfaw, the Head Executive Officer of the Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Services at the Ministry of Health of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia together with Mr. Abebaw Bihonegn, the IGAD Head of Mission to Ethiopia and Mr. Godefay Hagos Debeb, Senior Advisor to the CEO on A2DSRH at AUDA-NEPAD as witnessed by high level Sexual Reproductive health experts from the IGAD Member States and IGAD Secretariat.
The A2DSRH Programme also aims at strengthening regional and domestic resource mobilization and health financing for sustainability through improved public private partnerships within the IGAD region with the goal of establishing an IGAD Regional Health Financing Hub.
Dr. Mariamawit Asfaw highlighted that Africa is a continent blessed with a youthful population, accounting for over 60% of the people under the age of 25, presenting a unique opportunity for transformative growth and development and she stressed that to fully realize this potential, there is need to prioritize investments in SRH with policies and initiatives focusing on supporting the youth particularly for adolescents and youth.
“Access to comprehensive SRH services, including family planning, maternal health, and HIV prevention, is essential for empowering our young people and ensuring their well-being. By investing in SRH, we can reduce maternal and infant mortality, improve educational outcomes, and promote gender equality. These efforts will not only benefit individuals but also drive economic growth and social progress across the continent” Dr. Asfaw emphasized.
On behalf of IGAD, Mr. Abebaw Bihonegn, the IGAD Head of Mission to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia delivered his remarks on behalf of the Executive Secretary of IGAD, H.E Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu; extending his appreciation to AUDA-NEPAD for partnering with IGAD to focus on strengthen Member State Sexual Health systems to efficiently and effectively deliver Sexual Reproductive Health services across IGAD Member States Hub and advised that for successful operationalization of the joint regional initiative requires strengthened regional health coordination mechanisms.
“The greatest risk factors for adolescent health within the IGAD region are linked to sexual and reproductive health thus leaving the young people and other focus groups being faced with significant challenges related to sexual and reproductive health such high maternal mortality due to inadequate healthcare infrastructure; high and unmet need for family planning services; limited access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive healthcare; high dependence on donor funding of health systems and health service delivery have continually hindered the delivery of sexual and reproductive health services” Mr. Bihonegn added.
Additionally, Mr. Godefay Hagos Debeb, the Senior Advisor to the CEO on A2DSRH of the AUDA-NEPAD, called on the IGAD Member States to deliberately prioritize SRH interventions, we can drastically reduce these challenges and improve overall health outcomes. This includes fostering a healthier, more productive workforce capable of driving long-term economic participation and growth toward the “Africa We Want.”
“In this Programme, we are working with 11 Member States and 5 RECs focusing on interventions of policy advancement, high-level advocacy (at national, regional, and continental levels), strengthening governance and coordination platforms through multi-sectoral collaboration, enhancing support to RECs to realize their Regional Health Organizations, increasing healthcare financing through sustainable financing mechanisms, and providing technical and institutional capacity building—particularly in research and innovation” Dr. Debeb added.
For the IGAD Chair, Mrs. Fatouma Ali Abdallah, Director of Maternal and Neo-natal Department re-echoed that by promoting SRH is a fundamental pillar of human capital development, and we must see it as a cornerstone of health systems strengthening to reduce maternal mortality and advance the Universal Health Coverage agenda.
The meeting brings together Sexual and Reproductive Health Directorates, Reproductive Health Experts from IGAD Member States and other health experts from IGAD and AUDA-NEPAD with the objective of revitalizing Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) coordination bodies, knowledge exchange and experience sharing and conducting feasibility assessment in view of establishing an IGAD Regional Health Organisation serving to support IGAD Member States through different mechanisms to respond and address key national/regional challenges and priorities related to Sexual Reproductive Health thus enhancing their capacity to build, strengthen, scale up their national health systems and networks in the provision of sexual reproductive health services to align with Goal 3 of the 2030 SDG targets of ensuring healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages in the region.
