The call was made during the 11th African Conference on Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights in Rabat, Morocco, which hosted 650 delegates from 40 countries.

The conference, which took place from 26th February to 2nd March 2024, aimed to address the progress and challenges in advancing the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and youth in Africa.

In her address, Nana Oye highlighted the slow but significant advancements that have been made in the area of sexual and reproductive health in Africa over the past three decades.

She emphasized the importance of sustained action, gender-sensitive resource allocation, and increased political commitment to drive progress in this critical area.

She pointed out that while Africa still lags behind the rest of the world in reproductive health indicators, there have been positive developments, such as the decline in maternal mortality rates and an increase in contraceptive prevalence among married women.

Nana Oye also addressed the issue of unsafe abortions in Africa, noting that only four countries on the continent allow abortion upon request without justification.

This has led to a high number of unsafe abortions, putting women’s lives at risk. She emphasized the need for African states to strengthen their legal and policy frameworks to ensure access to safe and legal abortion services.

The Keynote Address also touched on the importance of research in advancing sexual and reproductive health in Africa, as well as the need for a regional and national framework to regulate Assisted Reproductive Technology.

Nana Oye called for a multi-faceted, sustained approach to address the complex issues surrounding sexual and reproductive health in Africa.