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Dr Sennen Hounton – UNFPA Regional Director for West and Central Africa.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has urged African countries to prioritise five measures to accelerate progress in reducing maternal mortality.
The measures include increased domestic health financing, protection of women and girls, stronger accountability systems, improved access to sexual and reproductive health commodities and expanded local production of essential medical products.
Speaking at a media engagement in Accra during his visit to Ghana for the African Union Extraordinary Summit on Health, Dr Sennen Hounton, UNFPA Regional Director for West and Central Africa, said reducing maternal deaths required action beyond the health sector.
He noted that despite strong political commitment by many African governments, progress in reducing maternal mortality remained slow due to health system weaknesses and broader socio-economic challenges.
“It is not lack of will of governments,” he said. “We need to move the conversation from a health sector perspective to a development multi-sectoral perspective.”
Dr Hounton said inadequate financing continued to limit the recruitment and deployment of skilled health workers, particularly midwives, in rural and underserved communities.
He said protecting girls from child marriage and ensuring they completed their education were also important to reducing maternal mortality.
According to UNFPA, adolescent pregnancies account for more than 30 per cent of maternal deaths in West and Central Africa.
“If girls complete school, have access to information and contraception, they are less likely to become pregnant early and can achieve their full potential,” Dr Hounton said.
The Regional Director called for stronger accountability through regular reviews of maternal health data to identify gaps and inform policy decisions.
He also advocated broader health insurance coverage and targeted financial support for vulnerable women who faced barriers to accessing maternal healthcare.
Earlier, Dr Jean Kaseya, Director-General of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, said Africa had reduced maternal mortality but remained short of global targets.
He said only seven African countries had maternal mortality ratios below 70 deaths per 100,000 live births and called for increased investment in maternal and child health services and local production of vaccines and other essential health products.
Source: GNA