Imagine a world where men bear the burden of family planning but lack the power to make decisions about it; a world in which the societal expectation to be fathers and husbands overrides their human rights. This dystopian scenario is the reality for millions of girls and women globally.
Access to sexual and reproductive health for all is a right, yet its denial has been normalized. An estimated 218 million women and girls around the world have an unmet need for modern contraception. In Sub-Saharan Africa, nearly 25% of women in need of contraception did not have access to modern family planning methods as of 2020, despite the region having both the highest fertility and maternal mortality rates in the world.
Factors such as age, literacy and economic ability can determine the uptake of modern family planning methods. Across Africa, culture and religious beliefs that equate women’s worth to their ability to bear children have permeated our health systems, contributing greatly to inadequate investment in family planning. While it would cost US$22.50 per capita per year to meet all women’s reproductive health needs, African countries currently spend an average of US$6 per capita per year – about US$7.8 billion annually – leaving wide gaps in the provision of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care.
The lack of access to SRH services not only upholds the existing imbalance of power between the sexes that violates women’s right to health, education, and economic opportunity; in instances where it results in high-risk pregnancy, abortion and sexually transmitted infections such as HIV, this lack of investment violates women’s right to healthy, productive lives.
Family planning is crucial for advancing global health equity, achieving gender equality and supporting sustainable and equitable development. It is the silent driving force behind many opportunities and advancements that we enjoy today.
Every woman should have the right to decide if, when to have children, how many children to have, and how to space them. Access to modern contraception not only gives women–married and unmarried–greater control over their reproductive lives, it can dramatically reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortions and improve health outcomes by lowering maternal and child mortality. Therefore denying women this choice strips them of their freedom, dignity and fundamental rights–and exposes them to grave risk.
In Africa, where rapid population growth is both a blessing and a ticking time bomb, increasing access to quality, affordable, and acceptable reproductive health services can unlock countless opportunities and transform communities. When women have a greater say in their reproductive choices, they are more empowered to enter and remain in the workforce and have greater economic power, therefore reducing the dependent population and lowering unemployment.
Increasing men’s understanding and use of family planning methods can reduce barriers for women, support equality within families and communities, improve health outcomes, and reduce household healthcare expenditures, freeing up funds for education, savings, and investment.
Those who hide behind culture, religion and patriarchal structures to deny equitable access to family planning ignore its consequences: poverty driven by unsustainable population growth; poor health outcomes and high healthcare costs associated with unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortions; and overburdened health and social protection systems that cannot meet the needs of the populations they are meant to serve.
Family planning is not just a health intervention; it can be a strategic development tool for African countries. Every $1 invested in women’s health yields $8 in benefits for families and communities–such high returns are key to building stronger, more resilient economies.
Funding commitments made at UNGA 2024 saw governments and philanthropies pledge US$350 million to expand access to family planning. These efforts aim to reach 28 million people in 54 countries, prevent 8 million unintended pregnancies, avert 2 million unsafe abortions, and save thousands of lives. Leaders also endorsed the Pact for the Future, calling for universal access to sexual and reproductive health and health coverage—a promise we hope holds true.
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These pledges reignited hope for women and girls, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
However, urgent action is needed to realize equitable access to modern contraception and other SRH services. Beyond the donor pledges, governments have a responsibility to do right by Africa’s women and girls by upholding their commitments to invest in and protect the right to family planning as a social and economic imperative. The private sector, civil society and philanthropy must also play their part by holding governments accountable to these commitments, which will empower millions of women and girls to make informed decisions about their reproductive health, with tangible benefits.
By putting the power of choice in their hands, we can give something back to the millions of women and girls living in a world that asks them to give so much of themselves but offers little in return.
AllAfrica publishes around 500 reports a day from more than 100 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.
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AllAfrica is a voice of, by and about Africa – aggregating, producing and distributing 500 news and information items daily from over 100 African news organizations and our own reporters to an African and global public. We operate from Cape Town, Dakar, Abuja, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Washington DC.
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Nairobi — Mini-grid company WeLight has connected 186 villages across Africa to electricity, including 172 in Madagascar and 14 in Mali, as part of its rural electrification initiative.
Since January 2024, WeLight has connected 10,000 people monthly, directly electrifying 200,000 individuals and benefiting over one million through improved services such as schools, businesses, and public lighting.
The company’s success in Madagascar marks a significant milestone, proving the mini-grid model’s scalability and profitability without subsidies, according to WeLight CEO Romain de Villeneuve.
“We are proud to have transformed the lives of one million people through access to electricity. This milestone underscores our leadership in rural electrification and our readiness to expand into new territories, including Nigeria and the DRC,” he said.
WeLight also backs initiatives like the World Bank and African Development Bank’s M-300 program, aiming to connect 300 million people to electricity by 2030, addressing the needs of over 600 million Africans without power.
The firm’s growth has been supported by key partners like Norfund, Axian Group, and the European Investment Bank, alongside government agencies fostering public-private collaboration.
This progress positions WeLight as a leading force in sustainable electrification across sub-Saharan Africa.
Read the original article on Capital FM.
AllAfrica publishes around 500 reports a day from more than 100 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.
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Three billion people around the world are suffering the impact of poor and degraded land which will “increase levels of migration, stability and insecurity among many communities,” according to the newly-elected President of a UN-backed conference on desertification, drought and land restoration which is taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Abdulrahman Alfadley, the Saudi Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture was speaking as the 16th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) got underway in the capital of the Middle Eastern country.
The meeting, according to UNCCD, represents a “moonshot moment to raise global ambition and accelerate action on land and drought resilience through a people-centered approach.”
Globally up to 40 per cent of the world’s land is degraded, which means its biological or economic productivity has been reduced.
This has dire consequences for the climate, biodiversity and people’s livelihoods.
Droughts, which is a priority issue at COP16, are becoming more frequent and severe, increasing by 29 per cent since 2000 due to climate change and unsustainable land management.
Nurturing humanity
The UN desertification convention was agreed 30 years ago and the organization’s current Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw highlighted the continued importance of restoring land lost to drought and desertification.
“Land restoration is primarily about nurturing humanity itself,’ he said, adding that the “way we manage our land today will directly determine the future of life on Earth.”
He spoke of his personal experience of meeting farmers, mothers, and young people affected by the loss of land. “The cost of land degradation seeps in every corner of their lives.”
“They see the rising price of groceries, in unexpected energy surcharges, and in the growing strain on their communities,” he said. “Land and soil loss are robbing poor families of nutritious food, and children of a safe future.”
Reversing of land degradation
COP16 provides the opportunity for global leaders from governments, international organizations, the private sector and civil society to come together to discuss the latest research and to chart a way forward to a sustainable future of land use.
Together the world can “reverse the trends of land degradation,” Mr Thiaw said, but only if “we seize this pivotal moment.”
In a video address to the conference, the UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed urged delegates at COP16 to play their part and “turn the tide,” by focusing on three priorities including strengthening international cooperation.
She said it was also crucial to “ramp up” restoration efforts and work towards “the mass mobilization of finance.”
Financing these efforts is going to be challenging, and is unlikely to come from the public sector alone, but according to the UN deputy chief, “cumulative investments must total $2.6 trillion dollars by 2030; That is what the world spent on defence in 2023 alone.”
Speaking on behalf of civil society organizations attending the conference, Tahanyat Naeem Satti called for “ambitious and inclusive action at COP16,” adding that the “meaningful participation of women, youth, Indigenous Peoples, pastoralists and local communities in decision-making at all levels must be institutionalized.”
She emphasized that “their insights and lived experiences are critical for shaping policies that effectively address land degradation and promote sustainable land management and restoration.”
The conference is set to last 2 weeks until 13 December and there will be some intense discussions and negotiations as delegates push towards the following outcomes.
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Fast facts: The UN and desertification
Read the original article on UN News.
The ‘Slow Onset, Silent Killer – ‘ Droughts Explained
COP16 – With Investment, Small-Scale Farmers Can Restore Lands And Deliver Significant Food Security, Climate, And Economic Benefits
AllAfrica publishes around 500 reports a day from more than 100 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.
Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.
AllAfrica is a voice of, by and about Africa – aggregating, producing and distributing 500 news and information items daily from over 100 African news organizations and our own reporters to an African and global public. We operate from Cape Town, Dakar, Abuja, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Washington DC.
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