On 5-7 October 2022, AUDA-NEPAD in collaboration with African Union Commission, convened a continental meeting entitled “Private Sector Investment in Health Dialogue: Strategies and Opportunities for Public-Private Engagement” in Nairobi Kenya. The meeting brought together over 150 senior-level stakeholders from the African Union Commission, Regional Economic Communities, regional and continental private sector business councils and other associations, development partners, government representatives, civil society and experts and researchers in private sector development with a focus on the health sector.
This meeting was held against the backdrop of the African Leadership Meeting (ALM) held in February 2019 in which the African Heads of States and Governments adopted a declaration (called the ALM declaration on investment in health) to increase domestic financing of health to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC). The declaration recognised that private sector can play a key role in supporting governments’ efforts to achieve Universal Health Coverage by strengthening and investing in health systems.
The declaration built on several steps the Africa Union has taken to increase private sector investment and engagement in health such as the adoption of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plan for Africa (PMPA), the establishment of the Africa Medicines and Regulatory Harmonisation (AMRH) initiative, the setup of the African Medicines Agency, the start up of the Africa vaccine manufacturing initiative, the adoption of the Third Industrial Development Decade for Africa (IDDA) and ratification and roll out of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (ACFTA) aimed at opening accessibility to the African Market by private sector.
The increased focus of the Africa Union and its Member States on the private sector investment in health also comes at the a time when private sector itself is evolving various models to support the strengthening of health systems as demonstrated through the role private sector played in supporting governments to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic; and emerging models of financing private sector by development financing institutions, commercial banks and development partners to invest in innovative healthcare solutions across Africa.
Building on lessons from these initiatives, assessments on private sector engagement in health, and good practices from other regions of the world, AUDA-NEPAD, (in consultation with Regional Economic Communities (RECs), development partners and private sector actors) developed a private sector engagement in health strategic framework aimed at increasing private sector investment in health. The framework set out the following priorities: (1) Strengthening governance and leadership, and accountability to attract investment in health systems and better coordinate and improve private healthcare services; (2) Identifying opportunities and strategies for private sector investment in health; (3) Strengthening organisational and technical capacities government to engage with and attract private sector investment in health; and (4) Supporting evidence-based private sector engagement in health and improve efficiency and equitable healthcare delivery.
It is against this background that the Nairobi meeting was held to allow robust dialogue among stakeholders to review and validate these strategic priorities and identify actions that could be taken in the immediate, short and long term to foster private sector investment in health. The Nairobi meeting also served as a spring board to operationalising the strategic priorities to increase private sector investment in the continent.