Evidence-based advocacy to support effective policymaking
In most sub-Saharan African countries, the lack of evidence on good practices inhibits countries from learning to replicate proven models.
Our advocacy sets out to demonstrate the role of digitalization and to help create the enabling environment needed for scaling impactful solutions. With growing healthcare challenges and constrained budgets, we engage governments, private sector, and other stakeholders to innovate and deliver more value from existing resources.
In 2024, evidence on our key innovations was collected primarily through independent evaluations in partnership with African Research Institutions. Peer-reviewed articles, reports, and case studies inform advocacy and policy making, providing governments and the private sector with the business cases they need to scale innovative models and shape policies. Our partnerships with African institutions also help build local scientific capacity.
Independent impact evaluations are essential to understanding what works, what doesn’t, and the potential unintended side effects. Throughout the year, PharmAccess collaborated with 33 international research institutions. Together we submitted 34 research publications to peer-reviewed journals in 2024, with 12 published so far.
Progress on promoting digitalization
In Nigeria, we supported pooled funding and aligned Global Fund investments with state-led health insurance, enabling people with HIV in Kwara and Lagos to enroll for the first time, thereby advancing the integration of vertical financing, a long-standing PharmAccess goal. In Ghana and Tanzania, our digital NCD work and advocacy with Norad helped integrate NCD care into health insurance packages. This led to the first National Dialogue on NCDs in Ghana. We advanced advocacy at national and regional levels—through the Africa CDC’s Health Data Governance working group with Transform Health and others, helped shape a regional stance on health data governance, joined the UHC2030 Coalition, supported global advocacy via the Digital Transformations for Health Lab, and continued building the African Digital Health Network (ADHN) to promote inclusive, patient-centric digital solutions. At the country level, we supported governments in using digital systems to inform policy and improve care. In Kisumu, Kenya, we helped government develop the Health Information Exchange and Health Data Repository, paving the way to safely share and store health records so that healthcare facilities to access accurate patient information to improve care. We also participated the Dutch Life Sciences and Health Mission to Kenya, co-hosted by the Dutch Embassy, TFHC and RVO, and included a high-level Digital Health Conference convened with Kisumu County.
Mobilizing local financing and resources for health
With donor funding in decline, sustainable local financing is more urgent than ever to ensure continued access to care for millions. PharmAccess supports governments in increasing and improving budget use through health insurance, value-based care, and digital models. In Ghana and Nigeria (Kwara and Lagos), governments now fund health insurance without external support.
Our advocacy helped sustain health insurance schemes amid economic downturns. In Ghana, data from our analytics supported NHIA, CHAG, and PharmAccess in influencing the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and national authorities to prioritize health insurance for the poor and informal sector. Despite economic pressures, NHIA maintained its commitment to safeguard access. In Nigeria, PharmAccess contributed to reforms of the Basic Health Provision Fund, leading to a 143% funding increase in 2024, reaching ₦74.74 billion (€41.6 million).
In Zanzibar, the government launched the Health Equity Fund (HEF), under the leadership of the Ministries of Health and Finance, and PharmAccess is on the Steering Committee. With strong leadership from both Ministries, the government is showing strong leadership needed to sustain the Fund, with an initial US$200,000 (€175,600) disbursed to subsidize care for vulnerable groups. A new tourist tax of US$44 (€38) was also introduced to boost local financing, and we are advocating to channel much of it into health insurance for vulnerable groups.
In Kenya, Kisumu County continues to budget for social health insurance through the Marwa scheme, which helped shape the new national Social Health Authority (SHA). However, delays in transitioning from NHIF to SHA are disrupting care.
In Nigeria, PharmAccess-supported states have raised health allocations in 2025. Lagos allocated ₦222.2 billion to health – 6.6% of its total budget – up 38% from 2024. Kwara allocated ₦66.95 billion – 18.5% of its budget – up 131% from 2024. Nationally, the Federal Government allocated ₦2.48 trillion to health – 5.18% of the total budget.
Institutionalizing quality improvement and patient centric healthcare
Quality of care is critical to building trust in health systems and achieving universal healthcare. PharmAccess drives systemic improvements through SafeCare by partnering with public institutions and licensed providers. We foster partnerships, policies, and incentives to embed quality standards and enable communities to demand better services and hold healthcare providers accountable.
We work to mobilize patient groups at the country level to ensure that patients are truly central in the design and implementation of digital and data-driven solutions, empowering them to engage in advocacy for better service delivery and health outcomes.
One important shift has been towards value-based care, which we have been championing in Africa and globally with initiatives like the World Economic Forum’s Digital Healthcare Transformation Initiative.
In 2024, our MomCare program was recognized as a best-practice value-based care model in the Maternity Playbook. We also collaborated with the Joep Lange Institute (JLI), Brookings Institution, and Achmea Foundation to co-host an expert meeting on outcome-based financing in Zurich as part of the Outcomes Finance Alliance, as well as a follow-up public webinar, discussing how outcome-based financing can improve patient outcomes through models that reward trust, quality and continuity of care.
