Oluremi Tinubu, the First Lady, has stated that Africa needs to develop creative financing strategies tailored to its distinct challenges in order to build a strong healthcare system.
A statement released on Friday by Busola Kukoyi, the Senior Special Assistant on Media to the First Lady, revealed that Oluremi made these comments during a high-level meeting on domestic health financing, organized by President Paul Kagame of Rwanda at the 38th African Union (AU) summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Oluremi emphasized that without guaranteed access to essential healthcare for Africans, the continent’s efforts to achieve economic growth will remain unfulfilled.
“Africa cannot continue to rely solely on donor funding and foreign aid, which, although helpful, are often unpredictable and unsustainable,” the statement reads.
Instead, we must develop innovative financing strategies tailored to our unique challenges and circumstances.
“Given the increasing funding gap for health on the continent, I urge us all to come together and commit to advocating for increased national health budgets.”
The First Lady noted that, in light of recent policy changes in the US, Africa must seek local and sustainable solutions to fill its funding gap.
On January 20, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order withdrawing the US from the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Trump also froze funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which supports most health institutions in Africa.
With this freeze, the World Health Organisation (WHO) projects a significant rise in health crises across the continent.
However, the President’s wife stressed the need for effective resource mobilization and use to ensure short, medium, and long-term impacts, stating that the health of the people is key to the continent’s prosperity.
“In line with the Abuja Declaration, our governments should allocate at least 15% of their budgetary allocations to health,” Oluremi said.
“We must also support innovative financing mechanisms and explore sustainable models, such as expanding health insurance coverage, health endowment funds, and investments from the African diaspora.
“Accountability and transparency must be ensured, as funds allocated to health must be used efficiently and effectively.”
The event saw the participation of presidents and heads of state from several African countries, including Rwanda, Ethiopia, Botswana, Kenya, Senegal, Zimbabwe, and Barbados, as well as donor agencies and funding partners, discussing global and regional approaches to domestic health financing in Africa.