Universal Health Coverage (UHC) as a national goal has been adopted by many countries in sub-Saharan Africa (and around the world). While global consensus and support for UHC efforts are high, countries are struggling to broaden coverage—largely due to challenges implementing the policies and strategies designed to advance UHC. The African Collaborative for Health Financing Solutions (ACS) joined the scene in mid-2017 with a mandate to facilitate collaborative, country-led processes to seek to identify and address implementation challenges, policies, and strategies designed to advance UHC in sub-Saharan Africa.
ACS began with an intensive listening period (“consultation phase”) during which we engaged with some 150 individuals in five countries from seven different stakeholder profiles and some 50 global and regional institutions and networks. At the end of this period, ACS convened a regional workshop in Accra, Ghana from February 13-15, 2018. The event brought together a diverse set of 60 participants from the countries consulted, including government, the private sector, civil society representatives, researchers, elected leaders and other “vital voices,” from across the continent who are often left out of the UHC dialogue and policy processes.