Collaborations in francophone Africa are rooted in P4H’s history
In 2007, when the P4H Network was founded, the Africa region was of particular importance. It was during this time that the Millennium Development Goals were adopted, and approaches to global health were very much directed from the “North” to the “South.” With the Sustainable Development Goals, however, universality became the new language in discussions about global health challenges that were locally driven.
The P4H Network has always focused on national health systems and country leadership. P4H engages in national collaborations through a local lens while acknowledging its role among development partners in social health protection (SH) and health financing (HF) reform processes. This role influences P4H’s activities in francophone Africa, including the activities of each P4H country focal person (P4H-CFP) in the region. About half of the P4H-CFPs in P4H’s 16 years been in Africa, with one-third in francophone Africa alone. The first P4H-CFP was deployed in Tanzania in 2011. Twelve years later, there have been about 44 P4H-CFPs worldwide.
Exploring ways to enhance the francophone Africa regional dynamics
The P4H Network presence in this region includes nine P4H-CFPs currently deployed in Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Madagascar, Niger and Tanzania), a dedicated community manager (Peggy Ouedraogo from Burkina Faso), and the active engagement of network members.
Also, the P4H Network in francophone Africa supports the Leadership for UHC (L4UHC) programme, which has benefited participants in Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Madagascar, Niger and Senegal. Looking ahead, much more can be done to promote collaborations, such as providing rich content on www.p4h.world and increasing number of meetings among P4H-CFPs in the region.
