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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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Dengue virus: epidemiology, biology, and disease aetiology

Kumar Roy., S. and S. Bhattacharjee (2021) CC

Canadian Journal of Microbiology 25 June 2021 https://doi.org/10.1139/cjm-2020-0572

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Glaube in Aktion. Wie religiöse Organisationen den demografischen Wandel in Westafrika voranbringen

Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (2022) CC

In Westafrika wird die Bevölkerung in den nächsten Jahrzehnten noch stark wachsen. Bis 2050 dürfte sich die Einwohnerzahl der 16 Staaten von heute 402 auf rund 797 Millionen Menschen nahezu verdoppeln. Der Grund dafür sind vor allem hohe Geburtenraten: Frauen bekommen zwischen Mauretanien und... more

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F.A.Q. - frequently Asked Questions at the intersection of Flight and Protection against violence

bff e.V., Frauenhauskoordinierung e.V. (2018) CC

This FAQ responds to questions revolving around the topic of protecting refugee women and girls against violence. It begins with a glossary that clarifies key terms and their consequences for female refugees. The glossary will be amended and updated as required on the websites of b... more

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Monitoreo de las desigualdades en inmunización: manual paso a paso

Organización Mundial de la Salud OMS (2019) C_WHO

Um Manual Passo A Passo

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Global issue of unaccompanied migrant children and adolescents and human rights

UN Human Rights Council (2016) CC

Progress report of the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee (A/HRC/33/53) (Advance edited version)

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COVID-19 and political stability in Ethiopia

Yusuf S. Institute for security Studies (2020) C1

This policy brief examines the implications of COVID-19 and the government’s preventative measure for political stability,9 especially in the short to medium term. It argues that in the short term the disease and the preventative measures could make the country less vulnerable to organised politic... more