By Danjuma Amodu
CONAKRY – More than 500 policymakers, health experts, parliamentarians, youth leaders and civil society organisations from over 30 African countries will converge on Conakry, Guinea, in September for the 12th African Conference on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (ACSHR 2026), amid growing concerns over shrinking donor funding, humanitarian emergencies and mounting threats to the health and wellbeing of young people across the continent.
The four-day conference, scheduled for September 2 to 5, is expected to provide a continental platform for governments, development partners, researchers, United Nations agencies and youth advocates to chart a new course for improving sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for Africa’s adolescents and young people.
The conference, themed “Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of Adolescents and Young People in Africa in the Face of Multifaceted Crises,” comes at a time when many African countries are struggling to sustain critical health interventions following significant reductions in international development assistance. Conflicts, climate change, disease outbreaks and economic instability continue to widen inequalities affecting young people.
Organisers said the meeting would bring together ministers, parliamentarians, public health institutions, researchers, international development agencies, women’s organisations, youth networks and community-based groups to develop practical strategies for protecting and expanding access to sexual and reproductive health services despite the continent’s multiple challenges.
According to the organisers, discussions will centre on sustainable financing for reproductive health programmes, improving access to family planning and maternal healthcare, comprehensive sexuality education, menstrual health management, prevention of gender-based violence, and strengthening the participation of young people in designing policies that affect their lives.
Another major focus of the conference will be safeguarding sexual and reproductive rights against growing anti-rights movements, and ensuring continuity of essential health services during humanitarian crises, including armed conflicts and climate-induced disasters that have displaced millions across Africa.
The organisers noted that declining external financing has placed enormous pressure on African governments to mobilise domestic resources and build resilient health systems capable of meeting the needs of one of the world’s youngest populations.
Africa is home to the fastest-growing youth population globally, making investments in adolescent health, education and empowerment critical to achieving the continent’s demographic dividend. Experts have consistently warned that without sustained investments in these areas, many countries risk higher maternal mortality, teenage pregnancies, unsafe abortions, school dropouts and rising unemployment among young people.
The Conakry conference is also expected to showcase innovative programmes from across Africa that have successfully expanded youth-friendly health services, strengthened community engagement and increased access to reproductive healthcare in difficult environments.
The African Conference on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights has, for more than two decades, served as the continent’s premier platform for dialogue on sexual and reproductive health policy. Established under the auspices of the African Federation for Sexual Health and Rights, the conference rotates among African countries and brings together governments, academia, civil society and development partners to formulate evidence-based policies and strengthen regional collaboration.
Previous editions have focused on issues ranging from family wellbeing and demographic dividend to bodily autonomy, gender equality and universal access to reproductive healthcare, with recommendations helping to shape national and regional health policies.
With Africa facing unprecedented demographic growth alongside increasingly complex health, economic and humanitarian challenges, expectations are high that the Conakry summit will produce concrete commitments to strengthen domestic financing, reinforce regional cooperation and place young people at the centre of efforts to secure healthier, more inclusive and sustainable futures for the continent.
