In the wake of the G8 in Canada, during which wealthy nations gathered to discuss and pledge their commitments to maternal, newborn, and child health, African leaders met this week in Uganda for the 15th African Union Summit. Dr. Jotham Musinguzi, Africa regional director of Partners in Population & Development, gives us his take on the Summit’s discussions and how he sees momentum from the Summit carrying forward into this fall’s MDG Summit in New York City and beyond.

No more excuses. That was the main message coming out of Kampala this past week after the 15th African Union Summit brought African leaders and high-ranking ministers together under the auspices of “maternal, infant and child health and development in Africa.”

In a debate session that lasted more than twice the allotted time, African leaders discussed the critical role of maternal health in moving the African continent forward. Leaders also agreed to renew the Maputo Plan of Action (PDF), a critical framework that ensures the rights and health of women and girls on issues of education, safe abortion, family planning and economic opportunity. Having it signed, in place and ready to be actualized is absolutely imperative.

No more excuses — we must address maternal health and women’s rights issues in Africa. While there has been outstanding leadership on these issues from all over the continent, our maternal health indicators continue to dwindle at the utmost bottom, globally. The vastness of the African continent, coupled with the severity of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and the levels of poverty in many parts of our countries mean that the road to improving maternal health could not be harder.

But it isn’t impossible, and we have seen time and again the clear and cost-effective solutions that do exist: mobile phones for midwives, drugs to prevent mother-to-child transmission, ready access to family planning for young women, ramped up efforts to ensure our girls are educated. And the list goes on.

It was fortuitous that the Summit carried the theme of maternal, child and infant health and was held amid a series of important global events where leaders have continued to pledge their commitment to addressing the needs of those most vulnerable. Women Deliver and the G8 Summit in June were two important platforms where new political and financial commitments to maternal health were garnered.

In just about a month, at the UN General Assembly in New York City, global leaders will gather for a summit on the Millennium Development Goals, of which MDGs 4 and 5 — the goals to improve child and maternal health, respectively — are clear priorities.

In my own work, I have seen how important global summits like these are. My own organization, Partners in Population & Development, was founded based on the program of action that came out of another critical summit more than 15 years ago, the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo.

These are rare opportunities for the world’s leading researchers, advocates, and policy makers to gather in one spot and we cannot let any opportunities pass us by. Renewing the Maputo Plan was the first step to galvanizing commitment of leaders, but we have to continue pushing for more – real solutions, put in place to deliver real and positive outcomes. We will continue to hold ourselves and our governments accountable. It is the future of our continent, as are our women and girls.

– Dr. Jotham Musinguzi, MD, MPH, Africa regional director, Partners in Population & Development