A Call for Action: Upholding the Commitment to 15% Domestic Funding for Health in Africa

Patience Masua& Emma Theofelus In 2001, in the historic city of Abuja, Nigeria, African Heads of State and Government gathered at a Special Summit to address the exceptional challenges posed by HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases. This gathering led to the Abuja Declaration, a unified vow to directly confront these challenges and gather resources for effective interventions. Now, more than two decades later, it is crucial to reexamine and reinforce this commitment, particularly the pledge to allocate a minimum of 15% of annual national budgets towards the enhancement and improvement of the health sector. The Abuja Declaration represented a…