From 18 – 20 August 2026, CABRI held the first in-person meeting of the Network of African Health and Finance Officials in Pamplemousses, Mauritius. The Network brought together officials from African ministries of Health and Finance to enhance coordination between them and to develop stronger health spending systems.
Since January 2025, there have been rapid cuts in development assistance for health, leading to concerns about the impact on aid-dependent health systems. This has also led to a renewed set of reforms calling for health sovereignty and national leadership. The network therefore aims to facilitate cross-country peer learning and regional solidarity between the ministries of Health and Finance, while also ensuring that public financial management (PFM) serves the needs of the health sector.
While the Ministry of Finance is responsible for policies that substantially influence the quality of health spending, significant obstacles remain.
Discussions were held regarding the future of development assistance for health. Representatives from the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), and The Global Fund reflected on the current landscape of donor funding and its medium-term prospects. Country representatives were also given an opportunity to showcase their reform journeys, detailing how they responded to the aid cuts and have transitioned their procurement capabilities.
Some countries have notably done an exceptional job in strengthening relations through coordination platforms and budgeting tools. Rwanda presented its key coordination platforms and explained why their model has worked. It is evident from their presentation that stronger health and finance relations are built through a continuous cycle of coordinated planning, credible budgeting, disciplined execution, and joint performance review. Mauritius, South Africa, and Nigeria also presented on their shortcomings and lessons learned, discussing how they developed a strong health policy focus within the Ministry of Finance.
Launched in January 2026, the Network brought together directors of Health; Health economists; directors of Budget; Budget planners; Budget analysts and Budget officers from ministries of Health and Finance from Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Mali, Malawi, Mauritius, Nigeria, Tanzania, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, and Zambia. The Democratic Republic of Congo and Senegal joined virtually.
The Network of African Health and Finance Officials is funded by The Global Fund, with ODI Global as technical partner.