African Sexual and Reproductive Health Conference Underway in Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa, February 7, 2026 (ENA)—A joint annual conference of the Ethiopian Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ESOG) and the African Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology (AFOG) is underway at the Hilton Addis in Addis Ababa.

The ESOG and AFOG conference which has drawn participants from 20 African countries and 150 delegates across the globe, focuses on advancing reproductive health and strengthening professional capacity across Africa.

Opening the two-day conference, State Minister Dr.  Dereje Duguma said the Government of Ethiopia has achieved remarkable progress in reproductive and maternal health care but challenges and opportunities are waiting ahead.

According to him, Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare is the central part of the health system in Ethiopia.

Sexual reproductive health addresses equity in different parts of the country and it addresses the gaps in the health service provision and acceptance of women and young girls, he added.

Some of the lessons that Ethiopia shares to the global community is its success in Sexual and Reproductive Health over the last many years, he said mentioning the rise of life expectancy from 65 to 68 over the last 5 years and decline of maternal mortality to 141 out of 100,00 births.

Ethiopian Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists President, Dr. Hailemariam Segni, said when we talk about sexual and productive health in Africa, we need to first start with celebrating our progress. We have generally made progress in Africa, and specifically in Ethiopia.

Yet, we should not forget the challenges we have because even though maternal mortality ratio has significantly dropped, there are still mothers dying from preventable causes across Africa, he added.

To addresses the remaining challenges, the President stressed the need for a resilient health system that by default will have a resilient sexual and proactive health system.

Dr. Hailemariam finally called for the need to embrace innovation that is context specific, sustainable, and scalable.

African Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology president, Dr.  Sami Mohamoud Abdelkair, said on his part   that the Federation is very grateful to the Ethiopian Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists for its kind invitation to the scientific program.

''Many Africans from our mother continent and from diaspora are now in this international conference,'' he noted.

He expressed his hope that the conference will reach a consensus to help mothers and newborns in Africa.