When the Aid Runs Out: Who Will Fund Africa’s Health Future? | ACRN Health Podcast EP09

When the Aid Runs Out: Who Will Fund Africa’s Health Future?

As external health assistance declines and debt pressures national budgets, a critical question is emerging: who will finance Africa’s health future?

In this episode of the ACRN Health Podcast, Wilfred Gurupura speaks with Hon. Modou Lamin B. Bah, Chairperson of the Network of African Parliamentary Committees of Health and Vice Chairperson of the Health Committee in the Parliament of The Gambia.

They explore the political and financial choices behind Africa’s health systems — from domestic resource mobilisation and the Abuja health financing commitment to universal health coverage, parliamentary accountability and reducing dependence on donor funding.

The conversation also examines what health sovereignty means in practice: strengthening medicines regulation, supporting the African Medicines Agency, building research capacity and creating the conditions for trusted, high-quality medicines to be developed and manufactured in Africa.

In this episode:

• Financing Africa’s health systems beyond aid
• The power of parliaments over health budgets
• Domestic resource mobilisation and smarter spending
• Health and pharmaceutical sovereignty
• Made-in-Africa medicines and regulatory capacity
• The African Medicines Agency
• Clinical research as part of Africa’s health infrastructure
• Bringing citizens and young Africans into health decision-making

Guest: Hon. Modou Lamin B. Bah
Host: Dr Wilfred Gurupira

Africa’s health future cannot be outsourced. The question is how we build it ourselves.