Marie Ba has been a member of the coordination unit for more than three years, starting as the regional program manager for advocacy and external relations and then moving into the deputy director role last year. Photo courtesy of the Ouagadougou Partnership.

Marie Ba is the new director of the Ouagadougou Partnership Coordination Unit.

The Ouagadougou Partnership is a coalition of nine francophone West African countries—Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, and Togo—that are working together to expand family planning in the region.

“She is the right leader to guide the coordination unit through 2020 and beyond.”

Ba has been a member of the coordination unit for more than three years, starting as the regional program manager for advocacy and external relations and then moving into the deputy director role last year. Over the past year, she has served as interim director as well as deputy director and has successfully led the team during this transition.

“I am delighted to announce Marie Ba’s appointment,” says Polly Dunford, president and CEO of IntraHealth International, which serves as the coordination unit of the Ouagadougou Partnership. “She is the right leader to guide the coordination unit of the Ouagadougou Partnership through 2020 and beyond.”

Ba has a master’s degree in international development and peace/conflict resolution from the American University, Washington DC, as well as a bachelor’s degree in economics and social sciences from the University of Maryland-College Park. Her extensive experience in the West and Central Africa regions spans the last twelve years and includes building partnerships and managing health programs, program planning and implementation (including communications and advocacy), financial management, and oversight of grants and contracts.

Read more:

• The Ouagadougou Partnership: An Improbable Success in a Troubled Region
• Young Advocates, Political Will Drive Progress on Family Planning in Francophone West Africa
• The Ouagadougou Partnership