In April, 15 mayors in Burkina Faso jointly committed to prioritizing family planning in their communes. The mayor of Koudougou alone pledged to allocate 10,497,500 FCFA, (US $17,496) for family planning. The other mayors in attendance will determine their allocations after meeting with their municipal councillors. The funds will be a part of supplementary budgets for 2017 or budgets for 2018.
The mayors’ increased budgetary investments are crucial for reducing women and girls’ unmet need for family planning and improving their access to quality services.
Advance Family Planning (AFP) local partner Equilibres & Populations, the Burkina Faso Association of Municipalities (AMBF), and the Chair of the Caucus of Women Mayors met and communicated with the leaders in the weeks prior to raise awareness on the need and urgency of investing in family planning in their communes. Their advocacy culminated with an AFP SMART facilitation hosted by Equilibres & Populations, with assistance from Palladium West Africa. The facilitation brought mayors and municipal councillors from 15 communes together.
The leaders recognized the relevance of supporting the national authorities’ family planning efforts and how this could reduce maternal and child mortality. During the closing ceremony, the mayors signed commitment letters to prioritize investing in family planning.
Moving forward, Equilibres & Populations will follow up with the mayors who made commitments to identify the allocation amounts. They will closely engage with and monitor these communes to make sure the allocations are made and the funds are effectively disbursed in accordance with the work plans specific to each commune.