Ruto calls for Africa to develop independent, sustainable health financing models

President William Ruto has urged African nations to take charge of their own future by creating sustainable financing models for essential sectors such as health innovation and food security.

Speaking during the launch of the Programme for Investment and Financing in Africa's Health (PIFAH) Initiative in New York on Monday, the Head of State emphasised the need for Africa to break away from the traditional multilateral funding systems, which he said have repeatedly failed to meet the continent's needs.

Ruto, who also serves as the African Union (AU) Champion for Institutional Reform, highlighted the importance of finding homegrown solutions to mobilize resources for crucial sectors, particularly healthcare.

"As the African Union Champion for Institutional Reform, I am committed to asking the hard questions about how our continent can attract investment in social sectors like healthcare," he said.

The President stressed that Africa can no longer depend on external aid and unpredictable foreign priorities when addressing critical challenges such as healthcare infrastructure.

According to Ruto, the continent's future prosperity depends on its ability to secure the necessary capital to strengthen its health systems and ensure long-term growth.

"Africa's rise depends on ensuring the continent has access to capital that can build the health infrastructure needed," he said pointing out to the recent global pandemic as a wake-up call for Africa to move from merely surviving crises to shaping its destiny.

"Our continent has often been at the forefront of global struggles, and the recent pandemic reminded us of our resilience. Yet, we must move beyond surviving crises and take deliberate steps towards shaping our future," he added.

Emerging partnerships

During his address, Ruto applauded the emerging partnerships that aim to enhance Africa's ability to develop its health sector.

He noted that such collaborations offer promising tools to revolutionise healthcare across the continent.

Among the notable initiatives, he highlighted the introduction of AI-powered Digital Health Wallets for every African, as well as efforts to attract biopharma research and support local production of essential medicines, vaccines, and medical devices.

"The partnerships that are coming up promise to equip every African with an AI-powered Digital Health Wallet and each African country with the tools to attract biopharma research and production of medicines, vaccines, and medical devices locally," Ruto said.

In addition, the President further emphasised the importance of initiatives like PanaBIOS, ProPer, and the Purpose Africa Clinical Research Programme in positioning Africa as a global leader in healthcare innovation. However, he cautioned that these milestones cannot be sustained without reconsidering how they are funded.

"None of this can be sustained without rethinking how we fund these initiatives," Ruto noted, urging African leaders to embrace innovative financing strategies to support such initiatives.

The President also took the opportunity to commend the African Union's Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) for its efforts in laying the foundation for health investment in Africa.

He acknowledged the pivotal role that AUDA-NEPAD has played in launching the Programme for Investment and Financing in Africa's Health Sector (PIFAH), alongside other partners like AfroChampions and Purpose Africa.

"I want to recognise the efforts of AUDA-NEPAD in developing the Program for Investment and Financing in Africa's Health (PIFAH). Alongside AU agencies, AfroChampions, and Purpose Africa, PIFAH is laying the groundwork for unlocking vast resources from the private sector," Ruto said.