From December 16 to 18, the Countdown to 2030 initiative took part in the annual meeting of the Ouagadougou Partnership (RAPO 2025) in Lomé, Togo, contributing to key policy discussions on the future of family planning in West and Central Africa.

As part of its engagement, the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), through the Countdown to 2030, co-organized a high-level side session focused on a critical yet often under-addressed issue: contraceptive discontinuation and its implications for sustainable family planning financing.

Discussions highlighted three key evidence-based messages:

• Contraceptive discontinuation undermines the efficiency of family planning investments, increasing costs for health systems, households, and women,
• Discontinuation is closely linked to women’s empowerment, quality of care, and the broader sociopolitical environment
• Integrating discontinuation into key indicators, policies, and financing strategies is essential, particularly in a context of declining external funding

Through this participation at RAPO 2025, Countdown to 2030 reaffirmed its commitment to placing evidence at the center of policy dialogue, domestic resource mobilization, and decision-making processes. As countries look toward the post-2025 agenda, evidence on discontinuation will be critical to informing more efficient, equitable, and sustainable family planning strategies from 2026 onward.

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