News

The African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP) has been selected to lead work on a new global USAID project aimed at strengthening the cross-sectoral benefits of family planning.

The new project, known as BUILD (Building Capacity for Integrated Family Planning & Reproductive Health and Population, Environment and Development Action) has been awarded to AFIDEP and partners: Leadership for Environment and Development Southern and Eastern Africa (LEAD SEA), PATH Foundation Philippines Inc (PFPI), Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), and Family Health International 360 (FHI360).  

According to Dr Eliya Zulu, the Executive Director of AFIDEP and Leader of the BUILD program AFIDEP is honoured to be entrusted with spearheading this global program that will go a long way in making the case on why family planning is a vital development investment. “It will practically assist stakeholders and decision-makers in various sectors, particularly those working on environment, climate change, food security, biodiversity, and conservation to integrate population and family planning innovations in their policies and programmes,” he says.

Prof Nyovani Madise, who is the co-leader of the BUILD Programme said, ”BUILD will enable us to support countries on their paths towards sustainable development. Promoting a cross-sectoral approach to helping decisionmakers and communities to act on challenges at the nexus between population, the environment, and development will be a major focus of the new programme”.

BUILD will play an important role in ensuring decision-makers understand the cross-sectoral benefits of voluntary family planning and in turn, implement policies and programs to help meet the demand for family planning and other development sector outcomes.

BUILD is a five-year project, commencing April 13, 2021, to April 12, 2026.

Read the USAID announcer here.