The African Development Bank (AfDB.org) has launched a consultation process with health ministers and other partners as it develops a strategy to drive enhanced access to health services across Africa through 2030.

Input from ministers in the Bank’s 54 regional member countries, development partners and civil society is expected to strengthen the Bank’s Strategy for Quality Health Infrastructure in Africa (2021-2030). A robust scoping study titled “Good Health and Well-being” underpins the strategy.

“These consultations are crucial to ensure the delivery of an efficient, impactful and sustainable strategy. The global Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on lives and livelihoods strongly justifies the Bank’s renewed investments in Africa’s health infrastructure and efforts to strengthen its health systems resilience,” said Dr. Beth Dunford, the Bank’s Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development.

The Covid-19 pandemic exposed serious gaps in African national health systems and overwhelmed capacity to test for and treat the disease. Health infrastructure is unevenly distributed, and often of poor quality. Only half of the primary health care facilities in sub-Saharan Africa have access to clean water and adequate sanitation.

The Strategy focuses on areas that match the Bank’s comparative advantage, including health infrastructure and building in flexibility to respond to the needs of regional member countries. Particular focus areas are primary health care infrastructure for under-served populations, with supporting infrastructure investment to ensure that facilities are connected to water and sanitation, energy, transport and communications services; diagnostic infrastructure, utilizing a range of delivery models, including public-private collaborations; and connectivity for innovative health solutions, to expand information and communications technology links and facilitate innovations in health service delivery.

The Bank’s investments in health infrastructure will be packaged with knowledge work, policy dialogue and technical assistance, and in partnership with other health sector actors. This support will focus on effective health financing strategies, including the expansion of health insurance to ensure low-income household access and that investments are used effectively and sustainably.

“Poor health undermines Africa’s economic productivity. The continent’s health infrastructure needs are too big to be met by any one, single player. I welcome stakeholder inputs as the Bank formulates a pipeline of operations in support of building stronger African health systems,” said Dr. Martha Phiri, Director for Human Capital, Youth and Skills Development at the Bank.

The Strategy has been developed in alignment with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 3 and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.

Invited stakeholders will have until 5 November 2021 to take part in the Bank’s Quality Health Infrastructure in Africa strategy consultation process. Feedback on the strategy can be directed to Dr. Babatunde Omilola, the Bank’s Manager for Public Health, Nutrition and Social Protection, via email: b.omilola@afdb.org.

To review the Strategy document in English, click here (https://bit.ly/3Ea0YRA); click here (https://bit.ly/2XFkCWi) for the French version.