African leaders have been urged to strengthen domestic health financing, improve accountability and embrace strategic innovation to build resilient and sustainable healthcare systems across the continent.
The call emerged during a High-Level Interactive Policy Dialogue convened by the African Renaissance Trust in partnership with the Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete Foundation (JMKF), under the theme “Advancing Africa’s Health Agenda through Domestic Financing, Accountability and Strategic Innovations.”
Participants agreed that Africa must fundamentally rethink how it finances healthcare as countries contend with widening funding gaps, declining development assistance, rising debt burdens, population growth and increasing demand for quality health services. They emphasized that health should be treated as a strategic investment that drives economic growth, strengthens human capital, boosts productivity and enhances national resilience, rather than as a social cost.
The dialogue brought together health ministers, senior government officials, African Union institutions, Regional Economic Communities, development partners, private sector leaders, academia and global health experts to identify practical solutions for strengthening Africa’s health financing architecture and accelerating implementation of continental health commitments.
The meeting was held on the sidelines of the African Union Extraordinary Summit on Ending AIDS by 2030, Addressing Preventable Maternal Deaths, Communicable and Non-Communicable Diseases Endemic to the Continent, and Strengthening Health Systems by 2030.
Speaking during the dialogue, former Tanzanian President and Founder of the Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete Foundation, Dr. Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, challenged African leaders to move beyond policy declarations and focus on measurable implementation to deliver meaningful progress in the continent’s health sector.
“Africa has not suffered from a shortage of ideas, strategies or innovations. What Africa needs is implementation. Let us turn commitments into budgets, budgets into programmes, programmes into measurable results, and measurable results into longer, healthier and more productive lives for our people,”he said.
President Kikwete further underscored that the historical model of heavy reliance on external aid is no longer sustainable, calling on African governments to strengthen domestic financing, invest in primary healthcare, institutionalize accountability, expand local pharmaceutical manufacturing and leverage regional cooperation to secure Africa’s health future.
Representing Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, Vice President of the Republic of Ghana, Prof. Grace Ayensu-Danquah, Deputy Minister of Health, reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to universal health coverage and highlighted the country’s flagship initiatives, including the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, the Free Primary Healthcare Initiative and investments in local vaccine and pharmaceutical manufacturing.
“Our declarations must be translated into measurable progress in the lives of our people. Ghana remains committed to working with the African Union, our continental institutions and our partners to build health systems that are stronger, more resilient and better prepared for future generations,” she said.
The High-level Policy Dialogue featured a distinguished panel comprising; Nana Oye Bampoe Addo, Deputy Chief of Staff at the Office of the President of Ghana; Ms. Joy Phumaphi, Executive Secretary of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance; Dr. Amany Asfour, President of the Africa Business Council; and Prof. Sarah Anyang-Agbor, former Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation of the African Union Commission.
The panel underscored that achieving Universal Health Coverage requires stronger domestic resource mobilization, closer collaboration between Ministries of Finance and Ministries of Health, improved public financial management, stronger accountability mechanisms, increased private sector participation, and greater investment in digital technologies, research, local pharmaceutical manufacturing and regional regulatory cooperation through the African Medicines Agency. Participants agreed that accountability should ultimately be measured by improved health outcomes rather than financial allocations alone.
A major highlight of the Dialogue was the unveiling of the African Renaissance Health Financing Insights Dashboard, an innovative continental accountability platform designed to strengthen evidence-based decision-making.
The dashboard enables governments, policymakers and development partners to monitor domestic financing commitments, benchmark national performance, identify financing gaps and strengthen coordination between Ministries of Health and Ministries of Finance. By transforming health financing data into actionable intelligence, the platform is expected to enhance transparency, improve accountability and support more effective policy implementation across Africa.
Speaking on the significance of the platform, Caroline Kwamboka, Director of the African Renaissance Trust, emphasized that:
“The Health Financing Insights Dashboard is more than a data platform; it is an accountability tool. It equips governments, policymakers and partners with the evidence needed to track commitments, identify financing gaps and ensure that investments in health translate into measurable improvements in the lives of African citizens.”
Throughout the Dialogue, speakers reiterated that Africa’s health future depends on translating commitments into action. They called for stronger domestic resource mobilization, institutionalized accountability, sustainable financing mechanisms, greater private sector engagement, enhanced regional collaboration, and accelerated implementation of African-led innovations capable of strengthening resilient health systems across the continent.
Participants agreed that the Accra Dialogue should serve as a catalyst for a renewed continental compact on health financing one grounded in domestic ownership, measurable accountability and strategic innovation.
Recommendations emerging from the Dialogue will be transmitted to the African Union Extraordinary Summit and incorporated into the evolving Accra Reset Agenda, helping shape priorities as Ghana prepares to assume the African Union Chairmanship in 2027.
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