By Juliet Ezeh
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has warned that rising global economic pressures, including surging oil prices, are forcing African nations to rethink how they finance healthcare and secure essential medical supplies.
Speaking during the weekly high-level regional press briefing, Prof. Yap Boum II, Deputy Incident Manager for Mpox at the Africa CDC Incident Management Support Team (IMST), highlighted how international crises are impacting the operations of both the Africa CDC and its partners in several countries. He said the pressures are prompting governments to strengthen local manufacturing and stockpiling of essential medical countermeasures to reduce vulnerability to global supply disruptions.
Prof. Boum II explained that a key strategy involves building domestic expertise in health financing, with 20 financial experts being deployed to high-priority countries to assist Ministries of Health in designing sustainable funding models. In one instance, a country approved the profile of a national health financing expert to advise on policy development.
He cited innovative approaches being explored across the continent, such as the introduction of a two per cent tax on imported goods to fund health budgets and the reduction of inefficiencies, including payroll fraud linked to “ghost workers.” In one case, digital auditing and reforms were expected to recover nearly $800 million annually, previously lost to salaries for non-existent employees.
Prof. Boum II also emphasised the importance of integrated health planning, moving away from siloed programmes for diseases like HIV and tuberculosis toward unified national health strategies. Debt swaps are being considered as another mechanism to channel funds directly into healthcare investments, with the World Health Organization recently recruiting a special advisor to support such initiatives.
A debt swap allows countries to redirect payments they would normally make to creditors into sectors such as healthcare, education, or environmental projects, ensuring that critical services are maintained even during global economic shocks.
According to Prof. Boum II, these combined measures including financial expertise, digital accountability, and innovative debt strategies are essential to helping African nations sustain healthcare financing and strengthen resilience in the face of mounting global challenges.
Juliet Ezeh is the founder and chief reporter at Westbridge Reporters with over 7 years of experience in journalism. She covers crime, industry, policy, and social developments, delivering timely and accurate reporting.