2021 Webinar Series
Investing in Africa’s healthcare sector is not an option – it is a must. It is an opportunity to accelerate economic development and growth, contribute to saving millions of lives and preventing life-long disabilities, and move countries closer to achieving objectives of national poverty reduction strategies and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Towards Sustainable Healthcare Systems in Africa
As Africa adapts to a new normal, partnerships in over-stretched health systems will continue to play an important role.While the current pandemic has put significant stress on the healthcare systems of the continent, it has also provided the base for building stronger and more resilient health systems.
Participation by organisations, both non-profit and for-profit businesses, is vital in creating sustainable solutions to quality healthcare delivery. Private investors are already directing efforts to innovate the areas of disease management, digital health, human resources, financing, manufacturing and supply chain. The AHBS webinar series for 2021 consists of seven sessions discussing key areas that are at the centre of change.
Webinar Series Calendar
NCDs: An Urgent Call for Primary Health Care System Strengthening in Sub-Saharan Africa
Primary healthcare spans various health issues affecting the upper, middle, and lower classes of the society. To strengthen primary healthcare systems, it is crucial to invest in public health education, especially regarding NCDs which are easily preventable. Additionally, it is key to reconsider the cost of monitoring and screening NCDs, cost of medication, and systems and policies which have been put in place to support patients. These and other factors within the primary healthcare setting should be the focal point of discussions geared towards the achievement of UHC for African countries. Below are three case studies reported in Kenya, demonstrating the situation and status of NCDs in Africa
October 21st, 3:30pm – 5:00pm EAT
Session Speakers
Dr. Anuschka Coovadia
Partner, Usizo Advisory Solutions
Dr. Jacqueline Kitulu
1st Deputy Governor, Kenya Red Cross Society
Eric Angula
Head of Strategy, Partnerships and Government Relations, Medtronic Labs
Mr. Arpit Bansal
Country Director Sub Saharan Africa, AstraZeneca
Dr. Karim Bendhaou
Head Africa Bureau, MERCK
“Optimally, primary health care systems should only be used to serve the right patients at the right time, the right place by the right healthcare worker and at the right cost”.
Dr. Anuschka Coovadia
Partner, Usizo Advisory Solutions
“Both the private and the public sector have to be involved in improving primary healthcare in Africa”
Dr. Jacqueline Kitulu
1st Deputy Governor, Kenya Red Cross Society
Healthcare Policy Harmonisation and Collaboration amongst Governments-A strategy Towards Sustainable Development in Africa
Healthcare policy harmonisation is the streamlining of regulation systems across multiple countries. Policy harmonisation and collaboration amongst governments will play an important role in the ability of African countries to achieve universal health coverage (UHC).
September 9th, 3:30pm – 5:00pm EAT
Session Speakers
Dr. Githinji Gitahi
Board Member, National Cancer Institute Kenya and Chief Executive Officer, Amref Health Africa
Dr. Amit N. Thakker
Executive Chairman, Africa Health Business
Dr. Julitta (Duncan) ONABANJO
Regional Director, East and Southern Africa, UNFPA
Dr. Lia Tadesse
Minister for Health Ethiopia
Danny Thomas Louange
Ministry of Health Seychelles
Dr. Karim Bendhaou
Head Africa Bureau, MERCK
“I hope that this issue of policy, strategy and
harmonisation continues to be a strong agenda
because it is really critical to achieve the Universal
Health Coverage that we are all envisioning, whilst
establishing strong legal frameworks, governance,
accountability mechanisms, budgeting, monitoring
and evaluation tools for a stronger system.”
Dr. Lia Tadesse
Minister for Health, Ethiopia
“Health is not a cost it is an
investment”
Dr. Karim Bendhaou
Head of Africa Bureau, MERCK
The Power of Partnerships: Development Partners Value Creation in the Healthcare Sector
There are a lot of challenges facing partnerships, and in particular public-private partnerships (PPPs) in Africa’s healthcare space. In most cases, donor and government interests are not aligned and this brings about multiplicity of donor interests. Generally, there is a lack of a holistic view of what is happening in terms of different partnerships and available resources.
June 24th, 3:30pm – 5:00pm EAT
Session Speakers
Mrs. Marloes Kibacha
Managing Director, Africa Health Business
Ms. Emily Blynn
Innovation Advisor, Center for Innovation and Impact, USAID
Mr. Ian Wakefield
General Manager, BD Africa
Ms. Barbara Ngouyombo
Africa Vaccines Public Affairs Head - International Policy, Sanofi Pasteur
Hon. Wilhelmina Jhalla
Minister for Health, Liberia
Dr. Karim Bendhaou
Head Africa Bureau, MERCK
“Nothing can happen if you want to
do it by yourself, especially in health.
I strongly believe that there is need
to put diplomacy of health in place.”
Dr. Karim Bendhaou
Head of Africa Bureau, MERCK
“The only solution to current and longterm health problems is partnerships.”
Mrs. Ishrat Z. Husain
Senior Health Advisor, Africa Bureau, USAID
The Future of Health: Unlocking the Potential of Artificial Intelligence for Healthcare in Africa
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is defined as: “the
imitation of human acumen in machines that
are typically programmed to imitate human
actions.” It is interdisciplinary science with
numerous approaches of machine learning in
the technology industry. In the recent past,
AI has moved from being a futuristic promise
into a reference point for innovation and is
making it’s way out of research laboratories
in Africa.
May 13th, 3:30pm – 5:00pm EAT
Session Speakers
Mr. Benjamin Makai
Senior Manager, Technology for Development (T4D), Safaricom PLC
Mr. Shadrack Anyuo
Solution Architect Lead, Amazon Web Services
Dr. Shadrack Opon
Project Manager, Africa Health Business
Dr. Torooti Mwirigi
Commercial Director CarePay Limited
Dr. Joanne R. Korir
General Manager, Health, Equity Group Foundation
Mr. John Kamara
Entrepreneur, (Afyarekod, Adalabs)
“Africa has an
opportunity to leapfrog
the world with AI in
healthcare because one
of the things we produce
so well is data. Africa has
little jurisdiction and over
compliance problems as
compared to other parts
of the world, problems
which sometimes stifle
innovations.”
Mr. John Kamara
Entrepreneur, AfyaRekod and Adalabs
“When we talk about
digital health and it's
position in making
healthcare services more
sustainable, we have
to look at it in terms
of the benefits for the
whole tripartite pyramid,
including the provider,
payer and patient.”
Dr. Joanne R. Korir
Senior Health Advisor, Africa Bureau, USAID
Africa’s Readiness for the COVID-19 Vaccination Drive
Africa is yet to secure adequate volumes of the vaccine. As of 8th April 2021, Africa has administered vaccines to approximately 0.65% of the entire population and the African Union has a goal of vaccinating 60%. So Africa is behind, but things are moving in the right direction. The COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility (COVAX) is complementing the AU’s work with the goal of vaccinating 20% of the world’s population. This means there is a gap of 40% that the AU needs to fill. To this end, they are looking for further funding and support.
April 8th, 3:30pm – 5:00pm EAT
Session Speakers
Ms. Kaushal Shah
Head Pharmaceuticals & MedTech, Africa Health Business
Prof. Joachim Osur
Technical Director Programmes, Amref Health Africa
Dr. Ernest Darkoh
Co-founder, BroadReach Group
Mr. Sanjeev Gadhia
Chief Executive Officer, Astral Aviation
Dr. Nicaise Ndembi
Senior Science Advisor, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
Ms. Tara Prasad
Senior Manager, ACT-A/COVAX Coordination Secretariat for Supply, UNICEF
Dr. Muluken Yohannes
Immunization Senior Advisor and National Coordinator of COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout, Ministry of Health Ethiopia
“We need to think out of the box.
We aren’t going to jump right on
existing facilities but be innovative in
ensuring that we provide an enabling
environment to rollout the COVID-19
vaccines.”
Dr. Nicaise Ndembi
Senior Science Advisor, Africa CDC
“We need to ensure that countries have systems
in place that they’ve never needed
before, from human resources to
physical infrastructure to know-how and
expertise. To ensure this, there is also a
need for sufficient funding.”
Ms. Tara Prasad
Senior Manager - ACT-A/COVAX Coordination Secretariat for Supply for the UNICEF Supply Division
Health Business Investment in Africa
There are many barriers to providing adequate healthcare in Africa, but many of them can be addressed through increased investment in the sector. Recent estimates show that the African health sector will be worth around $259 billion by 2030, with the potential to create over 16 million jobs across the continent. There is great potential in the health sector, especially with an enabling environment for private sector engagement and participation.
March 25th, 3:30pm – 5:00pm EAT
Session Speakers
Dr. Amit N. Thakker
Executive Chairman, Africa Health Business
Mr. Jef Imans
Strategic Advisor Health Supply Chain, Chemonics International
Mr. Tony Wood
Managing Director, MYDAWA
“The challenges that we face in the health sector
can be turned into opportunities for investment.”
Dr. Babatunde Omilola
Manager Public Health, Security and Nutrition Division, Africa Development Bank
“It is important for private sector health companies
to form partnerships with banks, leasing companies
and other financiers to mitigate some of the risks
that they find in the healthcare investment space.
Ms. Jennifer Kinyoe
Country Manager, GE Healthcare East Africa
One Year on: What have we learned since news of COVID-19 first broke?
Addressing the COVID-19 pandemic has forced Africa to view health from a new perspective. Rather than representing a single, isolated issue, health is now seen as vital and integrated with every other aspect of governments and economies. This highlights the need for a multi-sectoral approach in preventing and addressing future pandemics. Public-private action is essential because both sectors serve the same population and actions on both sides are impacting the other.
February 25th, 3:30pm – 5:00pm EAT
Session Speakers
Dr. Nsenga Ngoy
Team Leader for Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) Cluster, World Health Organization
Dr. Ahmed Ogwell Ouma
Deputy Director, Africa CDC
Dr. Iain Barton
Chief Executive Officer, Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc.
“There is a need for us to be more systems focused
in our thinking, rather than just healthcare focused
in our thinking, because there are many aspects
of our economies that impact the health sector.”
Dr. Mercy Mwangangi
Chief Administrative Secretary, Ministry of Health, Kenya
“What will it take to win the battle against COVID19?
(1) Personal discipline by following public health
measures (2) Solidarity as a continent (3) Building
our continental & national institutions so that they
can build resilient health systems.”
Dr. Ahmed Ogwell
Deputy Director, Africa CDC
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