“Ensuring availability of family planning services and their acceptability to every woman, man and to young people, would improve the health of mothers and children in Africa, besides saving health care systems unnecessary expenditure, according to Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, executive director of the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA),” who spoke at a maternal health event on the sidelines of the African Union summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Monday, PANA/AfriqueJet reports. “Underlining health as one of the main drivers of economic growth and social cohesion, he explained that healthy people, including mothers, women and young girls, can contribute to the productivity of the whole economy and drive a country forward to prosperous and sustainable development,” the news service writes. “Hailing the involvement of First Ladies in their respective countries to advance the cause of the campaign, Dr. Osotimehin said that UNFPA looks up to policymakers, parliamentarians, opinion leaders and communities to help advance the issue of reducing maternal mortality in Africa,” according to the news service (1/28).