Senegal’s Minister of Health announced his country’s pledge to double its investment in family planning, while the British Department for International Development (DFID) pledged an additional £35m in funding for family planning programs in developing countries. These two groundbreaking announcements were pivotal moments at the global conference in Dakar, Senegal, held between 29th November and 2nd December 2011 where over 1,500 participants have gathered to share best practices.
Senegal’s funds are designated to increase contraceptive supplies, improve maternal health facilities and increase the number of midwives in health clinics. This initiative aims to increase contraceptive prevalence from 12% to 45%, and to half the country’s maternal mortality rate; currently, at 400 deaths per 100,000 births. “At the end of the day, family planning is a development issue… African governments need to provide financing from their own pockets to provide [it],” said Senegal’s Minister of Health and Prevention, Moudou Diagne Fada.
