Health experts have stated that African countries must strike a balance between self-reliance and strategic partnerships to sustainably finance their health systems amid shrinking donor support.
The experts made this call during a webinar titled “Re-imagining Health Financing in Africa: Accelerating Progress towards Self-Reliance,” held on Tuesday.
The event was organised by Nigeria Health Watch and Willow Health Media to explore new strategies for funding health systems on the continent.
The Technical Director for Primary Health Care (PHC) at Amref Health Africa, Dr Charlotte Muheki emphasised that while development partner support might be decreasing, African nations must continue to pursue collaborations that align with their own health priorities.
“We should still look to partnerships with these development partners, even when they have exited or reduced their funding.
“We should see how much we can learn from them and partner with them,” she said.
Muheki highlighted the need for knowledge transfer, capacity building, and the adoption of multi-stakeholder approaches.
She also referenced the Abuja Declaration of 2001, which committed African Union member states to allocate at least 15 per cent of their national budgets to health, calling it a necessary commitment to domestic investment.
“This situation is not a crisis. It is an opportunity to design health systems that reflect our realities, priorities, and financial capabilities,” she added.
The President of the Healthcare Federation of Nigeria, Dr Njide Ndili stressed the role of the private sector in achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC), noting that private sector participation must be supported by access to credit and business-friendly policies.
“The private sector is not always profit-driven as is perceived, but it must be efficiently run as a business to remain relevant and impactful,” she said.
Ndili also called for a shift from traditional Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) to “Public-Private Integration,” emphasising deeper collaboration between both sectors.
“The public sector will not achieve UHC alone, and the private sector also cannot do it by itself. Both sectors must leverage their unique strengths and work together,” she said.
In her opening remarks, the Managing Director of Nigeria Health Watch, Mrs Vivianne Ihekweazu, called for a new mindset focused on self-reliance, cross-country collaboration, and sustainable financing models tailored to Africa’s context.
She stressed the need for public engagement in health advocacy, urging citizens to question the fragility of their health systems and demand meaningful reforms.
“While leaders and institutions debate policy shifts, our citizens are watching and asking, why are our systems still so fragile and vulnerable?” she remarked.
The webinar underscored the urgency of reforming health financing approaches in Africa and highlighted the role of innovation, collaboration, and homegrown solutions in building resilient health systems.
NAN
