Date(s): -
Location: Windhoek
Namibia
Theme:

Aligning and stimulating investments to address health workforce challenges in Africa

Hosts:
World Health Organization

The World Health Organization, in collaboration with Member States and partners, is convening the inaugural Africa Health Workforce Investment Forum on May 6-8 in Windhoek, Namibia. The Forum will engage approximately 150 invited participants—including African ministers of health, finance, education, and labor along with key decision-makers representing investment partners and civil society—to obtain consensus and commitment on the first-ever Africa Health Workforce Investment Charter

With a bold target of halving Africa's 6.1-million health workforce shortage, the Charter aims to mobilize and align domestic and partner funding to strengthen, grow, and retain the continent's health workforce, especially in rural and primary health care settings. 

Key partners supporting the Forum include the ILO-OECD-WHO Working for Health Programme and its Multi-Partner Trust Fund; The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; and the Frontline Health Workers Coalition. IntraHealth International serves on the Technical Working Group for the Charter and is supporting the Forum, including as the secretariat of the Frontline Health Workers Coalition. 

Janet Muriuki, IntraHealth's senior director, health workforce development is representing IntraHealth and the Coalition at the Forum and is speaking during or moderating three sessions.


Our Participation

Featured Event

Launch of the Health Workforce Investment Charter & Press Conference
Date(s):
- (06:30am - 07:15am EDT)
More Information:
This session will officially launch the Africa Health Workforce Investment Forum and speakers will interact with the press.
Masters of Ceremonies: Ben Nangombe, Executive Director, Ministry of Health and Social Services and Dr. Kasonde Mwinga, Director Universal Health Coverage – Life Course, WHO/AFRO.
Speakers:
• Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, Regional Director
• Hon. Dr. Kalumbi Shangula (MP), Minister of Health and Social Services; Namibia
• Hon. Nakhumicha S. Wafula, Minister of Health, Kenya
• Hon. Dr. Benard Okoe-Boye, Minister of Health, Ghana
• Hon. Dr. Pierre Somse, Minister of Health, Central African Republic
• Hon. Utoni Nujoma, Minister of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation, Namibia
• Hon. Dr. Mathume Joseph Phaahla, Minister of Health, South Africa
• Hon. Pr (Mr) Zely Arivelo, Randriamanantany, Minister of Health Madagascar
• Hon. Mercy Maruva Dinha, Deputy Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Zimbabwe
• Dr. Bruce Aylward, Assistant Director General, Universal Health Coverage, WHO
• Dr. Nertilla Tavanxhi, Global Fund
• Dr. Janet Muriuki, Senior Director, Health Workforce, IntraHealth International.
Presenter(s):
Janet Muriuki speaks on behalf of the Frontline Health Workers Coalition and IntraHealth.

Roundtable Discussion

Transforming words into action: Operationalizing the Charter
Date(s):
- (03:15am - 04:15am EDT)
More Information:
This session–facilitated by the ILO-OECD-WHO Working for Health Multi-Partner Trust Fund partnership– will debate government representatives and donors on innovative approaches that can be adopted by countries and partners to mobilize and secure investments for increasing workforce education, employment, and retention across the Africa region. The session will reflect on support for the Africa Health Workforce Investment Charter through Working for Health, and how this has helped deliver analytical and policy work through global tools and products that is contributing towards securing the sustained long-term investments required to implement the key education, employment and retention priorities and interventions needed to respond to Africa’s projected 6.1 million workforce shortfall by 2030.

Chair: Hon. Nakhumicha S. Wafula, Minister of Health/Cabinet Secretary, Kenya
Co-chair: Emma Sass, Health Workforce Policy Lead, UK Department of Health & Social Care
Facilitators: Dr. Janet Muriuki of IntraHealth and the Frontline Health Workers Coalition, and Dr. Laurence Codja of the WHO
Countries for initial intervention: Central African Republic, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Zimbabwe
Partners for initial intervention: Global Fund, USAID, World Bank, Chemonics
Presenter(s):
Janet Muriuki is the moderator of this roundtable discussion.

Panel Discussions

Bridging the education to employment gap: Unlocking fiscal space for absorption and employment of newly trained health workers
Date(s):
-
More Information:
This session aims to strengthen multisectoral collaborations and investment that will help bridge the education to employment gap by discussing the mismatch between Africa's health workforce training output and the available budget space to employ them. It will make conclusions and recommendations on how feasible it is to stimulate the employment of new health workers through various modalities of expanding or optimizing fiscal space. The topic will be introduced by a presentation highlighting Africa’s fiscal space challenges, followed by a panel discussion that will share various perspectives and experiences by governments and partners.

Facilitators: Dr. Ogochukwu Chukwujekwu, WHO AFRO Health Financing & Investment Team Leader and Dr. Laurent Musango, WHO Representative to Madagascar
Chair: Dr. Nertila Tavanxhi, Global Fund
Panelists:
• Hon. Zely Arivelo Randriamanantany, Minister of Health, Madagascar
• Hon. Dr Benard Okoe Boye, Minister of Health, Ghana
• Jim Campbell, Director, Health Workforce, WHO
• Dr. Maren Hopfe, ILO
• Dr. Janet Muriuki, IntraHealth and Frontline Health Workers Coalition
• Ratidzai Mutonono, Director, Wages and Remuneration, Ministry of Finance, Zimbabwe
Presenter(s):
Janet Muriuki is a panelist.

Participants

Janet Muriuki

Sr. Director, Health Workforce Development