The Ouagadougou Partnership Coordination Unit (UCPO) organized its seventh annual meeting from December 12 to 14, 2018, in Dakar, Senegal. The civil society organizations of the nine (9) West African countries (CROSPF) gathered around the Ouagadougou Partnership (PO) met to assess their contribution and to set prospects in the fight for the capture of the demographic dividend in West Africa. They shared good practices and positive experiences as well as the challenges at regional and local level.

Ahead of the annual meeting of the Ouagadougou Partnership, the CROSCPF organized a working dinner on Tuesday, December 11 during which the Regional Director for UNFPA in West and Central Africa, Mabingue Ngom was honoured. This distinction is a recognition from civil society towards the leadership of Mr. Ngom, in promoting women and youth’s empowerment to harness demographic dividend in West Africa.

In Africa and around the world, countries endorsed policies on the repositioning of family planning to overcome crises and thus contribute to the achievement 2030 (SDGs) and 2063 (African Union) goals, for which women and youth empowerment are priority areas.

In the region, dynamic actions were built around the regional coalition of nine countries contributing to reposition Family Planning in their respective countries by reducing maternal mortalities, child marriages, advocating for women's and girls' access to contraception etc.

In addition, the report of the 6th annual meeting of the Ouagadougou Partnership in Guinea took stock of the progress made in 2017 in countries where about 910,000 additional women benefited from family planning. These results that account for 41% of the global target of the 2.2 million projected for 2020. The nine countries have enlisted 383,000 additional women in 2017.