Burkina Faso concludes its inaugural national health financing forum

The inaugural National Forum on Health Financing (FONAFIS), launched on March 25 by Burkinabè Prime Minister Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo in Ouagadougou, successfully concluded on March 27.

This high-level forum convened political leaders, local and international experts, alongside technical and financial partners (PTF), to address critical challenges in resource mobilization and decreasing reliance on external funding for public health across Africa. A primary objective was also to fortify the African continent’s health system resilience against various crises.

On March 25, Mohamed Janabi, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, presented an overview of health financing across the continent. He highlighted that a significant one-quarter of health expenditures in the region still originates from external sources.

Prime Minister Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo emphasized that ‘health sovereignty’ is a cornerstone of Burkina Faso’s national transformation agenda, initiated through a Progressive Popular Revolution (RPP) in September 2022. He reiterated his government’s steadfast commitment to independently fund its national health system.