DKT operates a regional social marketing program in Anglophone West Africa (AWA) based in Ghana. In 2010, DKT established its Ghana office in the country’s capital, Accra. In 2018, DKT launched sales in Liberia and Sierra Leone to leverage common language and economies of scale.
Work in the region proved to be difficult. As a country, Ghana has made strong progress against many Millennium Development Goals, and has eradicated polio. However, progress in maternal health and family planning continues to be slow. DKT’s objective in Ghana is to raise the contraceptive prevalence rate and reduce maternal mortality. DKT learned that these same objectives applied to nearby Liberia, where two-thirds of the population is under 25, and Sierra Leone, where women have a 1 in 21 lifetime risk of dying from pregnancy-related causes (the world’s highest maternal mortality rate).
To improve health outcomes, DKT trains nurses and midwives to provide IUDs and implants and ensures that high quality contraceptives are widely available and affordable in the private sector. Through a network of partner clinics and pharmacies, DKT has helped build the capacity of the private sector by offering training, products, and promotional materials to providers.
In addition to long-acting reversible contraceptive methods, DKT has two condom brands, Kiss and Fiesta, which are both targeted to young consumers. Kiss is a low-priced condom that provides the greatest affordability for young people, and fills a gap in the market for a high-quality, affordable condom. To round out the portfolio, DKT currently has three female contraceptives under the brand name Lydia, including an oral contraceptive pill, and IUD and the Lydia Postpill (emergency contraceptive pill). In 2018 and 2019, DKT began launching user-controlled sexual and reproductive health products in AWA, including medical abortion combipacks, injectables, and HIV self-test kits.
