This document discusses challenges and opportunities around reproductive health commodity security in Francophone Africa. It notes that the population of most countries in the region will double in the next 25 years, and on average 1/3 of women's family planning needs remain unmet, contributing to high maternal mortality rates. Family planning can play an important role in regional development. The SECONAF forum aims to facilitate coordinated action on reproductive health commodity security through effective collaboration, increasing access to information exchange, and raising awareness and resources. Priority areas include creating and linking networks, advocacy, and developing an early warning system.

1. Sécurité contraceptive en Afrique Francophone (SECONAF)
Dakar 29 Novembre 2011
Lou Compernolle RHSC

2. Francophone Africa
RH Commodity security
West Africa faces many challenges when it comes the RH
commodity security
The population of the majority of countries in the region
will double in the 25 years to come
On average 1/3 of women’s FP need remains unmet
With maternal mortality rates among the highest in the
world the burden of this unmet need is unacceptably high
Clearly Family Planning can and must play a more important
role in the development of the region. The return on
investment will be unmeasurable.

3. Facing the challenges ...
and opportunities
- Increasingly complex context
-The lack of understanding and knowledge gap
- Insufficient resources
- Strong need for capacity building
- Inadequate and fragile systems in place
- Lack of information exchange and sharing of
experiences
- Lack of coordination and regional monitoring
But also…
- Motivation
- Many lessons Learned
- Dedicated people
- National and international call
Is there a role for the forum?

4. The time is ripe
An Imperative to Act: Family Planning in West
Africa, Ouagadougou, February 2011
Access for All: Supplying a new decade for
Reproductive Health
Addis, Juin 2011

5. The need is there
Problem
Frustration from Forum members about lack of follow-up
and action resulting from regional and national efforts
Proposed action
A regional retrospective study looking into past events
to:
1. Provide a common understanding and a stepping
stone to move forward
2. Increase awareness by identifying the stakeholders
3. Ensuring action by identifying hurdles and
opportunities for change

6. Retrospective Study
Preliminary findings
Opportunity for:
- Need for a better understanding of the regional and
national RHCS situation
- More effective partner collaboration
- Better strategic action oriented follow-up
- Firmer linkages between events and initiatives
- Greater transparency of activities, resources and
stakeholders
- Secure human and financial resources
- Strong regional institutions to take the lead on regional
coordination

7. SECONAF
Facilitator of coordinated action
The objectives of the forum:
1. Effective action-oriented collaboration
2. Increasing access to information and exchange
3. Raising awareness and increasing the resource base
And concretely ….

8. •1 Effective action-oriented collaboration
• The formation of Working Groups and Communities of
Practice
• Technical collaboration and problem solving
• The ability to create, regionally relevant, technical tools
Already identified priority focus areas:
1. Create new and link existing national and global networks
2. Advocacy and increasing the role of civil society
3. Involvement in the development of an early warning
system
4. Exploring Task Shifting
5. The harmonization of national needs and donor demand
6. "Regional harmonization" of national registration
procedures of products
7. Better understanding of Access issues in the region
8. The development of a funding proposal

9. Acces to information
2 and exchange
73 members from 24
countries

10. 3 Raising awareness & increasing the resources
base
By:
1.Developing national and global networks
2.Augmenting the involvement of civil society
3.Expanding advocacy efforts
4. Ensuring National Stewardship
5.Increasing International visibility of the
regional situation

11. MERCI !
http://knowledge-gateway.org/RHSC/SECONAF