West Africa has adopted numerous strategies to counter maternal and infant mortality, provides national maternal and infant health programmes, and hosts many active technical and financial partners and non-governmental organisations. Despite this, maternal and infant morbidity and mortality indicators are still very high. In this commentary, internal actors and officials of the West African Health Organisation (WAHO) examine the regional organisation’s role in promoting research as a tool for strengthening maternal and infant health in West Africa.As a specialised institution of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) responsible for health issues, WAHO’s mission is to provide the sub-region’s population with the highest possible health standards by harmonising Member States’ policies, resource pooling, and cooperation among Member States and third countries to collectively and strategically combat the region’s health problems. To achieve this, WAHO’s main intervention strategy is that of facilitation, as this encourages the generation and use of evidence to inform decision-making and reinforce practice.WAHO’s analysis of interventions since 2000 showed that it had effected some changes in research governance, management and funding, as well as in individual and institutional capacity building, research dissemination, collaboration and exchanges between the various stakeholders. It also revealed several challenges such as process ownership, member countries’ commitment, weak individual and institutional capacity, mobilisation, and stakeholder commitment. To better strengthen evidence-based decision-making, in 2016, WAHO created a unique programme aimed at improving the production, dissemination and use of research information and results in health programme planning to ultimately improve population health.While WAHO’s experiences to date demonstrate how a regional health institution can integrate research promotion into the fight against maternal and infant mortality, the challenges the organisation has encountered also demonstrate the importance of cohesion among actors promoting such an initiative, the importance of leadership and commitment among member country actors steering the process, and the need for collaboration and coordination among all partners in member countries and in the region.

Introduction in the Gambia, adolescents and young people make up 32% of the national population. Observations indicate that this population group lack access to quality information and services on sexual and reproductive health. This systematic review explored some sexual and reproductive health indicators relevant to adolescents and young people in the Gambia. Methods published studies on some sexual and reproductive health indicators were searched in PubMed, Google Scholar and African Journals Online. Moreover, national reference documents containing relevant in-country data on adolescents and young people's sexual and reproductive health were also collected and reviewed. Search terms for published studies focused on modern contraceptives, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) prevalence rates, availability and accessibility to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services and adolescents and young people’s satisfaction with SRH services among adolescents and young people (aged 10-24 years). Results the review showed that contraceptive prevalence rates among adolescents and young people in Gambia ranged from 7% to 9%. Reasons for low contraceptive prevalence among adolescents and young people included limited knowledge and access to sexual and reproductive health information and services, provider attitudes, stigma, shame, lack of money, cultural and religious misconceptions associated with contraception. Overall, the review found limited information on STI prevalence among adolescents and young people, with a single published study reporting a prevalence rate of 8.4%. In addition, inadequate counseling, complaints related to physical environment as well as the process of providing sexual and reproductive health services and information were significant factors associated with satisfaction with SRH services among adolescents and young people. Conclusion this review provides important baseline data that may be useful for policymakers and program managers to improve adolescents and young people's sexual and reproductive health in Gambia.