Zimbabwe wins top post at Africa Union Summit

Zimbabwe wins top post at the Africa Union Summit:

                                                         

Parliamentarians from various African countries gathered to discuss health financing in Africa. The meeting, held on 11th and 12th July 2023 in Nairobi,At the sidelines of the African Union Summit resulted in the creation of the Parliamentarian Task Force on Domestic Resource Mobilization for Health in Africa. The task force aims to engage parliamentarians in their respective countries to mobilize national resources for health, strengthen community health, achieve universal health coverage, and address funding gaps for HIV, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.

Zimbabwe was represented at the meeting by Hon MP Dr Mathew Nyashanu, Hon MP Dr Ruth Labode, Hon MP Daniel Molokele, and Mr Itai Rusike. Hon MP Daniel Molokele from Zimbabwe was elected as the Co-Chairperson of the Parliamentarians Task Force on Domestic Resource Mobilization for Health in Africa, alongside Senegal.

The donor community is advocating for sustainability and wants countries to prioritize health as a national development goal. They aim to drive political will and encourage governments to allocate a larger share of their budgets to the health sector while decreasing reliance on external aid. This shift towards a sustainable and self-reliant health financing model is spearheaded by GFAN Africa, which prioritizes the long-term development and resilience of countries’ health delivery systems. This initiative will help countries respond better to future health emergencies like COVID-19.