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Africa’s Health Financing in a New Era

Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) (2025) CC

Africa’s health sector is facing an unprecedented financing crisis, driven by a sharp decline of 70% in Official Development Assistance (ODA) from 2021 to 2025 and deep-rooted structural vulnerabilities. This collapse is placing immense pressure on Africa’s already fragile health systems as ODA ...is seen as the backbone of critical health programs: pandemic preparedness, maternal and child health services, disease control programs are all at risk, threatening Sustainable Development Goal 3 and Universal Health Coverage. Compounding this is Africa’s spiraling debt, with countries expected to service USD 81 billion by 2025—surpassing anticipated external financing inflows—further eroding fiscal space for health investments. Level of domestic resources is low. TThe Abuja Declaration of 2001, a pivotal commitment made by African Union (AU) member states, aimed to reverse this trend by pledging to allocate at least 15% of national budgets to the health sector. However, more than two decades later, only three countries—Rwanda, Botswana, and Cabo Verde—have consistently met or exceeded this target (WHO, 2023). In contrast, over 30 AU member states remain well below the 10% benchmark, with some allocating as little as 5–7% of their national budgets to health. In addition, only 16 (29%) of African countries currently have updated versions of National Health Development Plan (NHDP) supported by a National Health Financing Plan (NHFP). These two documents play a critical role in driving internal resource mobilisation. At the same time, public health emergencies are surging, rising 41%—from 152 in 2022 to 213 in 2024—exposing severe under-resourcing of health infrastructure and workforce. Recurring outbreaks (Mpox, Ebola, cholera, measles, Marburg…) alongside effects of climate change and humanitarian crises in Eastern DRC, the Sahel, and Sudan, are overwhelming systems stretched by chronic underfunding. The situation is worsened by Africa’s heavy dependency with over 90% of vaccines, medicines, and diagnostics being externally sourced—leaving countries vulnerable to global supply chain shocks. Health worker shortages persist, with only 2.3 professionals per 1,000 people (below the WHO’s recommended 4.45), and fewer than 30% of systems are digitized, undermining disease surveillance and early warning. Without decisive action, Africa CDC projects the continent could reverse two decades of health progress, face 2 to 4 million additional preventable deaths annually, and a heightened risk of a pandemic emerging from within. Furthermore, 39 million more Africans could be pushed into poverty by 2030 due to intertwined health and economic shocks. This is not just a sectoral crisis—it is an existential threat to Africa’s political, social, and economic resilience, and global stability. In response, African leaders, under Africa CDC’s stewardship, are advancing a comprehensive three-pillar strategy centered on domestic resource mobilization, innovative financing, and blended finance. more

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The nature and contribution of innovative health financing mechanisms in the World Health Organization African region: A scoping review

Nabyonga-Orem J., Christmals C.D., Addai K.F. et al. Journal of Global Health (2023) CC

Achieving financial risk protection for the whole population requires significant financing for health. Health systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) are plagued with persistent underfunding, and recent reductions in official development assistance have been registered. To create fiscal ... more

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Financing for Sustainable Development Report 2024

Inter-agency Task Force on Financing for Development United Nations (UN) (2024) CC

The world is facing a sustainable development crisis. The 2024 Financing for Sustainable Development Report: Financing for Development at a Crossroads finds that financing challenges are at the heart of the crisis and imperil the SDGs and climate action. The window to rescue the SDGs and prevent a c... more

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WHO guidelines on meningitis diagnosis, treatment and care. Web Annex B. Qualitative and economic evidence reports
recommended

World Health Organization WHO (2025) C_WHO

The guidelines are primarily intended for health-care professionals working in first- or second-level health-care facilities, including emergency, inpatient and outpatient services. They are also directed at policy-makers, health-care planners and programme managers, academic institutions, non-gover... more

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ECSA report. Eastern, Central and Southern African Region - Education and Labor Markets for Nurses

World Bank Group; International Council of Nurses (2021) CC2

Challenges and Opportunities. This report presents a comprehensive assessment of the education and labor markets for nurses in the ECSA region. It documents the main challenges to train and deploy nurses and discusses opportunities for government and private sector employers to overcome these chall... more

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Pregnant adolescents and nurses perspectives on accessibility and utilization of maternal and child health information in Ohangwena Region, Namibia

Shatilwe, J. T.; Hlongwana, K.; Mashamba-Thompson, T. P. (2022) CC2

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2022 Apr 5;22(1):284. doi: 10.1186/s12884-022-04619-w. Adolescent reproductive health is still a challenge in Low and Middle Income Come Countries (LMICs). However, the reasons for the inability of most pregnant adolescent girls to access and utilize maternal and child heal... more

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Consequences of the US budget cuts and the dissolution of USAID: An analysis and recommendations for action for stakeholders in international development cooperation

Liebau L., Rüppel T., Schottmayer K. medmissio (2025) CC

This publication provides a problem analysis of the U.S. cuts in global health and derives concrete recommendations for action for medical actors. The focus is on analyzing the direct effects on health-specific development cooperation.

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Rethinking communications for governance of malaria programs

Opigo, J.; Guyer A. L. (2023) CC

PLOS Glob Public Health 3(7): e0001132. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pgph.0001132 This paper proposes a framework for strategic communications for malaria governance that involves five key elements: knowing the audience, defining the message, designing a medium, identifying a messenger, and ... more

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Children face unique vulnerabilities to environmental hazards at every stage of life

UNICEF (2025) C_UNICEF

Fragile Beginnings. The Fragile Beginnings series examines the growing body of research on the unique vulnerabilities of children: in utero and at birth, during infancy and childhood and throughout adolescence. Its purpose is to enable evidence-based advocacy and action on children’s environmental... more

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Malaria Strategic Plan 2021-2025 - Ghana

National Malaria Control Programme Ghana Health Service (2021) C2

The Ghana National Malaria Strategic Plan 2021–2025 aims to reduce malaria mortality by 90% and malaria cases by 50% (using 2019 as baseline) and to achieve pre-elimination in at least six districts by 2025. The plan focuses on scaling up prevention measures like distributing insecticide-treated n... more

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Integrated Outbreak Analytics Toolkit

Global Outbreak Alerts Response Network GOARN (2025) CC

Integrated Outbreak Analytics (IOA) applies a multidisciplinary approach to understanding outbreak dynamics and to inform outbreak response. It aims to drive comprehensive, accountable, and effective public health and clinical strategies by enabling communities, and national and subnational health a... more

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Implementation guidance on counselling women to improve breastfeeding practices

World Health Organization WHO (2025) C_WHO

Breastfeeding is a cornerstone of healthy infant nutrition, development and survival. It is critical for countries* to improve breastfeeding rates in order to achieve global targets for newborn and child health and survival, as well as economic growth and environmental sustainability

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Climate change and workplace heat stress: technical report and guidance

World Health Organization WHO (2025) C_WHO

This publication provides an overview of evidence and guidance on the growing challenge of workplace heat stress in the context of climate change. It highlights the health and productivity risks faced by billions of workers, especially in manual labor sectors. The report details the physiological, s... more

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The social context of schistosomiasis and its control: an introduction and annotated bibliography

Bruun, B.; Aagaard-Hansen, J.; Watts, S. World Health Organization WHO; Institutional Repository for Information Sharing iris (2008) C_WHO

Schistosomiasis is widely recognized as a disease that is socially determined. An understanding of the social and behavioural factors linked to disease transmission and control should play a vital role in designing policies and strategies for schistosomiasis prevention and control. To this must b... more

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Transmission of Ebola Viruses: What We Know and What We Do Not Know

Michael T. Osterholma, Kristine A. Moorea, Nicholas S. Kelley et al. (2015)

mBio, Vol. 6 Issue 2, March/April 2015 Available evidence demonstrates that direct patient contact and contact with infectious body fluids are the primary modes for Ebola virus transmission, but this is based on a limited number of studies. In this review, the authors address what we know and what ... more

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Ground Realities: Voices of Humanitarian Aid Workers from the Frontlines

Roel G. Cabulang; Mariam Mushtaq (2014) CC

Conceived as part of the CWS-A/P project on regional security and risk management, this book presents a collection of testimonies from aid workers in some of the most insecure and volatile environments in the world. The participants recount a broad array of security incidents, such as kidnappings,... more

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Zika, Dengue and Chikungunya Toolkit: Adaptation for Latin America and the Caribbean. School/youth module

International Federation of Red Cross And Red Crescent Societies IFRC (2017) C1

In the battle against diseases like Zika and dengue, knowledge is power. Climate change is shifting the distribution of mosquitoes and to new areas. Empowering communities is essential in reaching and pro- tecting the most vulnerable individuals and households. Vector control programmes, community... more

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A Decade of Destruction: Attacks on Health Care in Syria

Sider, R. , Buswell, M. , Al Salman, M. et al. International Rescue Committee, et al. (2021) CC

March 2021. “A Decade of Destruction: Attacks on health care in Syria,” highlights with chilling detail how this 10-year war strategy has turned hospitals from safe havens into no-go zones where Syrian civilians now fear for their lives.

WHO guidelines on meningitis diagnosis, treatment and care. Web Annex B. Qualitative and economic evidence reports recommended

WHO guidelines on meningitis diagnosis, treatment and care. Web Annex B. Qualitative and economic evidence reports
recommended