The SPRINT-Sen Project awarded at the International Congress on African Women's Health (CISFA) in Cotonou, Benin
From July 8 to 10, 2026, Cotonou hosted the first edition of the International Congress on African Women’s Health (CISFA), a groundbreaking scientific event that brought together researchers, health professionals, policymakers, and civil society representatives from 17 countries. This congress was made possible thanks to the commitment of numerous partners, including the National Institute for Women (INF), the Ministry of Health of Benin, the National College of Gynecologists and Obstetricians of Benin (CNGOB), the Laboratory of Epidemiology of Chronic and Neurological Diseases (LEMACEN), the Beninese Society of Oncology (SOBECAN), the Research Institute for Development, and the Interdisciplinary Institute for Women’s Health at Paris Cité University (iWISH).
The SPRINT-Sen project was represented there with a presentation titled “Heat Waves and Exclusive Breastfeeding in Matam (Senegal): Psychosocial Determinants in a Sahelian Context,” which won the award for the second-best presentation at the conference.
A Holistic Approach to African Women’s Health
CISFA aimed to address the research gap regarding women’s health in Africa and give it greater visibility by adopting a perspective that goes beyond the reproductive dimension alone. It thus offered a rich and varied program, reflecting the diversity of experiences African women face throughout their lives, with discussions covering sexual, reproductive, and maternal health (breastfeeding, contraception, fertility, obstetric complications, and maternal mortality), gynecological health (menstrual hygiene, endometriosis), and noncommunicable diseases: cancers affecting women, mental health, sexual violence, and female genital mutilation.
