Advancing CSO Advocacy for Health Financing Consolidating Progress and Shaping the Future of JLA

Current macroeconomic challenges, high and evolving disease burdens, and a reliance on external funds demand an urgent acceleration of domestic health financing across Africa. While the 2001 Abuja Declaration set an ambitious target for governments to allocate at least 15% of their annual budget to improve the health sector, domestic resources for health remain insufficient. This hinders the fight against high burden diseases, jeopardises and puts at risk the sustainability of hard-won gains, and leaves millions without access to essential care. Overall health expenditure has significantly increased over time, but funding from domestic sources has not increased commensurately. Therefore, while Africa celebrates considerable strides in health outcomes, inadequate domestic investments limit the flexibility of national health systems to address pandemics, NCDs, other emerging threats and threatens to dim the continent’s ability to sustain healthcare advancements. As a result, new preventable diseases continue to claim lives, pushing millions into poverty due to crippling healthcare costs. Africa’s future hinges on the health of its people, yet the continent continues to record high numbers of deaths and suffering. To build a sustainable future, the African Union has again committed to prioritizing domestic health sector investments through the 2019 Africa Leadership Meeting declaration. Meeting the ALM commitments will save millions more lives, break the cycle of poverty by protecting families from financial ruin occasioned by high out of pocket spending, and drive economic development.