The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in collaboration with the Ghana Ministry of Health, the National Health Insurance Authority, and the World Health Organization, organized a five-day workshop focused on the goal of achieving universal healthcare in Africa. The workshop launched on Monday, February 15, 2016, at the Mövenpick Hotel in Accra, Ghana, and will run through Friday, February 19. It brings together more than 150 representatives from the government, civil society, and the private sector of countries including Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Togo and Uganda. Speakers include Robert P. Jackson, U.S. Ambassador to Ghana; Ariel Pablos-Mendez, USAID Assistant Administrator for Global Health; Honorable Alex Segbefia, Ghana Minister of Health; and experts from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Bank and the World Health Organization. 

The workshop, entitled Africa Regional Peer-Learning Workshop on Country Approaches to Risk-Pooling for Attaining Universal Health Coverage, is facilitating interaction and knowledge-sharing between attendees on the topic of healthcare. It aims to familiarize policymakers with lessons learned and best practices for achieving universal healthcare, with a focus on financial risk protection.

At the workshop, officials from Ghana are sharing their experiences expanding and improving the quality of Ghanaian health care. Ghana’s National Health Insurance Scheme, which covers an estimated 40 percent of the population, has been lauded by the global community for its ability to provide equitable access and financial coverage for basic health care services to the Ghanaian population. USAID supports the National Health Insurance Authority in its efforts to strengthen its management, roll out a new provider payment system, improve its monitoring systems, engage with public and private health care providers, and increase the quality and scope of care.

“Change is possible when we partner together and learn from each other. The U.S. government, through USAID, collaborates closely with the National Health Insurance Agency to support its financial sustainability, increase enrollment, and improve effective coverage of quality health services,” said Ambassador Jackson.

These activities further the goals of USAID’s integrated Health, Population, and Nutrition Program, which works to improve the health and well-being of the population in Ghana. USAID partners with the government of Ghana to achieve these goals and build leadership, improve governance, and build capacity in the health sector.