MSI is on the front page of the New York Times!

‘More Women in Africa Are Using Long-Acting Contraception, Changing Lives’

​The old adage ‘No news is good news’ was joyfully disproved this week, with a front page story in the New York Times exploring the ripple effect of reproductive choice and the incredible impact of MSI’s work.

Following a visit brilliantly hosted by our Ghana team, the New York Times’ Global Health Reporter Stephanie Nolen has published an in-depth feature shining a light on the power of contraception and exploring how MSI is reaching more women in Africa and supporting them to transform their lives. The story was featured on the front page of the main paper in both its US and international print editions and the New York Times’ home page, as well as being given a special promotion in the paper’s WhatsApp channel.

The article describes how sub-Saharan Africa has the world’s lowest rate of access to contraception. But that is changing, with the number of women in the region using modern contraception nearly doubling to 66 million.over the last decade.

“We’ve made progress, and it’s growing: You’re going to see huge numbers of women gaining access in the near future,” said Esi Asare Prah, Advocacy and Donor Relations Manager for MSI Ghana.

The article posits that three factors are driving the change. First, more girls and women are becoming educated and have bigger ambitions for careers and experiences.

Second, the range of contraceptive options available has improved, as generic drug makers have brought more affordable hormonal injections and implants to market.

And third, better roads and planning have made it possible to get contraception to rural areas. Areas like Kumasi, where at MSI’s bustling clinic, centre manager Faustina Saahene describes to the journalist how women from the country’s large Muslim minority appreciate implants and IUDs for their discretion.

As of May 2024, The New York Times has 10.5 million subscribers, with 9.9 million online subscribers and 640,000 print subscribers, the second-largest newspaper by print circulation in the United States.

With its prominent front page position, Muckrack, the U.S. media monitoring platform estimates the article is worth the equivalent of $442,541 in advertising spend. 

Good news can feel vanishingly rare, but this week, the New York Times proved there is still lots worth smiling about.