As noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) increasingly undermine progress across low- and middle-income countries—particularly in Africa—the question of how to finance long-term, equitable responses is becoming central to health and development agendas.
In a newly published Op-Ed for the Devex Accelerating Action series, Access Accelerated Director Herb Riband joins Jackson Otieno, Ph.D. (African Institute for Development Policy) and Adeel Ishtiaq (Results for Development) in examining the widening gaps in NCD financing and making the case for a coordinated regional response.
Against a backdrop of shrinking external aid and growing domestic fiscal pressures, the piece draws on findings from a new report by the Financing Accelerator Network for NCDs (FAN)—Health Financing for Noncommunicable Diseases: Landscape Analysis of Practices and Challenges in the Sub-Saharan Africa Region—which offers a new understanding of the NCD financing gaps and priorities across the region.
The report reveals deep disparities. While domestic governments in the region allocate just under a quarter of their health budgets to NCDs on average, external funding remains critically low—only 2.8%. Together, these sources fall short of meeting even half of the region’s NCD-related needs, leaving individuals and families to shoulder the remaining cost, out-of-pocket.
Among its key insights, the analysis highlights several opportunities to help bridge the NCD financing gap: from strengthening national data systems and designing inclusive financing policies to expanding insurance schemes and testing innovative mechanisms such as health taxes and blended finance models. Technical support, stronger governance, and public-private collaboration are also emphasized as essential to building long-term financing resilience.
FAN—launched in November 2024 through the Access Accelerated–World Bank technical partnership, in collaboration with Results for Development—was created to support country-led action on NCD financing. Through its regional NCD Financing Accelerator, hosted by AFIDEP, FAN will build on the report’s findings by working with countries to develop a clear roadmap for regional support—grounded in shared learning and exchange, and focused on advancing targeted, sustainable solutions that maximize impact on the ground.
With the upcoming fourth UN High-level Meeting on NCDs later this year, the opinion piece calls on global and regional stakeholders to commit to practical, evidence-based solutions that reflect local realities and advance health and development goals across the continent.