New family planning data from Performance Monitoring and Accountability 2020 (PMA2020) are available from three countries in Francophone Africa – Burkina Faso, Niger, and The Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa and Kongo Central provinces).
Burkina Faso
Held in Ouagadougou on July 21, the results dissemination workshop for the third round of data collection in Burkina Faso brought together representatives from the Ministry of Health – including Dr. Ramatou Sawadago, the new Director of Family Health, which is the organization that is implementing the national family planning policy in Burkina Faso. This year’s PMA survey, PMA2016/Burkina Faso-Round 3, found a 4.1% increase in contraceptive prevalence (from 20.1% to 24.2%) among married women aged 15-49 since the last survey in June 2015.
Dr. Georges Guiella, Principal Investigator for PMA2020/Burkina Faso, noted, “The progress can be attributed to the increased use of long-acting methods like implants and intrauterine devices, which cover 21% of all contraceptive need.”
The 2016 survey collected for the first time information on the use of Sayana Press. The results show that this new auto-injection sub-cutaneous delivery system for the traditional Depo-Provera injectable is used by 5.5% of married modern method users in Burkina Faso, and is stocked in almost half (46%) of the 110 public health facilities and 8% of the 22 private facilities surveyed. These figures are significant, since Sayana Press had only been available in four pilot regions at the time of data collection in round three.
For more information on survey results from Burkina Faso, view the new indicators report, available in English and French.
Niger
PMA2020 partners from the Institut National de la Statistique (INS) presented new results from Niger (national estimates as well as subnational estimates from Niamey) on July 26 in Niamey. This meeting brought together representatives from the Ministry of Health, notably the Family Planning Directorate from the Direction de la Santé de la Mère et de l’Enfant (DSME), Pathfinder International, Population Sciences International, Track20 and the Coordinator of the Civil Society Coalition for Family Planning.
Results show an increase in contraceptive prevalence by three percentage points (3%) between 2012 and 2016 (13.9% to 16.9%) among married women nationally, and a rise in modern method use from 12.2% to 14.4%.
“The increase can be largely attributed to a transition away from the pill towards injectables and longer-acting methods such as implants and IUDs,” explains Co-Investigator for the PMA2020 project in Niger, Mr. Sani Oumarou. Use of long-acting methods, notably the implant, increased from 0.5% in 2012 to 2.4% in 2016.
View the two-page indicators brief from the PMA2016/Niger survey – available in English or French. Results from the second subnational survey from Niamey are also available: English, French.
DRC
The first three rounds of PMA2020 data collection in DRC took place in Kinshasa between 2013 and 2015. The most recent (fourth) round was conducted in late 2015 in both Kinshasa and the province of Kongo Central. Results from these surveys were presented in Matadi, Kongo Central, on July 27 by PMA2020 partners from Tulane University's School of Public Health and the University of Kinshasa’s School of Public Health. Participants included representatives from the provincial Ministry of Health, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and partner organizations.
In both Kinshasa and Kongo Central, contraceptive use has consistently increased across recent surveys. The modern contraceptive prevalence rate (mCPR) among married women in Kinshasa increased steadily from 18.5% during the first round of PMA2020 in 2013 to 23.8% for Round 4 in 2015. Similarly, mCPR in Kongo Central rose from 17.2% (DHS 2013-14) to 21.0% in 2015 (PMA2020).
Among married contraceptive users, more women are choosing long-acting methods – notably, one third of married modern users in 2015, up from nearly 20% in 2014-15. In Kongo Central, nearly 13% of modern users are now relying on a long-acting method compared to just 5% in 2013-14.
Dr. Phil Anglewicz, Principal Investigator for PMA2020/DRC, explains, “In Kinshasa, the shift from shorter-acting to longer-acting methods can be attributed at least in part to the rise in implant use, which has increased from 8.5% of modern methods (PMA2020 round 1, 2013) to 28.4% by round 4 in 2016, and over 15% since the most recent DRC DHS 2013-14.”
Dr. Win Brown of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, who manages the PMA2020 grant and was present at the DRC dissemination event, noted, “Providing access to a wider range of methods, including long-acting methods, helps increase contraceptive choice and uptake. PMA2020 data can guide programs to translate these insights into action that will reach the women and girls who have yet to be reached.”
For more information, download the summary reports from: PMA2015/Kinshasa Round (English, French); PMA2015/Kongo Central Round (English, French).