Fostering an environment conducive to public-private partnerships for health in Africa
On November 6-7, 2017, representatives from 51 countries assembled in Dakar with the goal of optimizing health care in Africa. SHOPS Plus co-sponsored the conference—the Africa Health Business Symposium—which fosters intra-regional discussions to strengthen the roles of both the private and public health sectors and promote effective public-private partnership dialogue. Participants included ministers of health from six African countries, regional and country-level health federations, international and regional partners, and private companies.
In addition to providing logistical support, SHOPS Plus showcased the project’s activities on two panels. Dr. Isseu Touré, chief of party of the SHOPS Plus team in Senegal, presented on public-private partnerships in Africa and moderated a panel on policy. Papa Gagny Sylla, operations manager for the SHOPS Plus team in Senegal, presented on the use of digital technologies to foster innovations in health care.
“The symposium is a key moment for proposing solutions to strengthen inter-African cohesion and cooperation in the field of health and institutionalize a framework for exchange and consultation with stakeholders for the development of the private health sector,” said Dr. Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr, Senegal Minister of Health.
The event focused on five key thematic areas affecting health care in Africa: health care financing, human resources for health, fostering investments, supply chain management, and digital technologies. Participants discussed challenges, including weak policy and legal frameworks, the limited capacity and expertise of governments at different levels to design and manage public-private partnership contracts.
View Dr. Touré's presentation.