News
AFIDEP will participate in the 15th Eastern Africa Reproductive Health Network (EARHN) Coordination Meeting, taking place on 24–25 June, 2025, in Kigali, Rwanda. The meeting, under the theme “Repositioning Programmes for Implementation of the Unfinished ICPD Agenda and Attainment of Universal Health Coverage (UHC): South-South Sharing of Lessons and Good Practices,” will bring together stakeholders from across the region.
Participants will share progress and best practices on the implementation of the EARHN Strategic Plan 2022–2026 against their action plans developed in 2024, focusing on progress made, challenges encountered, lessons learned, and emerging opportunities. They will also reflect on the implementation of the Africa Leadership Meeting (ALM) Declaration adopted by Member States at the 2019 AU Summit.
The declaration called upon all Member States to increase domestic investments in health and improve health financing systems in a context-appropriate manner so that each country can pursue its path to achieving and sustaining UHC without suffering financial hardships.
As part of the Advance Domestic Health Financing (ADHF) project, implemented jointly by AFIDEP and Partners in Population and Development Africa Regional Office (PPD ARO), AFIDEP has supported the EARHN platform by providing evidence to strengthen advocacy for increased domestic investment in health, with a particular focus on primary healthcare and the health of girls and women.
During the meeting, Dr Rose Oronje, Director, Public Policy & Knowledge Translation, & Head of Kenya Office, AFIDEP, will give remarks and moderate the session “Optimising Domestic Financing for Development: Moving Declarations to Concrete and Implementable Actions”. The session will explore how countries can translate continental and regional commitments into tangible national investments in health.
In addition, Dr Jackson Otieno, Senior Research and Policy Analyst at AFIDEP, will present evidence on “Tackling inefficiencies in health expenditure and exploring innovative financing mechanisms in Africa”. His presentation will draw on AFIDEP’s evidence synthesis under the ADHF project, which has highlighted opportunities for improving the effectiveness and sustainability of health financing in the region.
The event will bring together participants from Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. Attendees will include technical experts from government ministries, departments, and agencies responsible for sexual and reproductive health, health financing, and national planning, and representatives from civil society organisations engaged in advocacy for reproductive health, maternal and child health, and health financing.
AFIDEP’s participation will contribute to efforts to promote evidence-informed policy dialogue and support country action plans aimed at advancing health financing reforms and reproductive health outcomes in the region.