The African Health Budget Network (AHBN) has launched a Health Security Accountability Framework and Scorecard aimed at enhancing preparedness and transparency amid ongoing health crises, including COVID-19, cholera, Mpox, and Lassa fever.
The organization highlighted the urgent need to improve transparency and readiness across Africa in response to these challenges.
Dr. Aminu Magashi, Coordinator of AHBN, made this known at the conclusion of a three-day technical peer review retreat on strengthening accountability in health security financing for Nigeria, Cameroon, and Senegal, held in Abuja on Saturday.
Magashi explained that the newly designed framework is intended to track progress on health security efforts, enabling governments, development partners, and civil society organizations (CSOs) to monitor both financial and non-financial commitments effectively.
He emphasized that by promoting greater accountability, the scorecard seeks to ensure that health security becomes a top priority at both national and regional levels.
“The COVID-19 pandemic exposed significant weaknesses in Africa’s health security, with many countries relying heavily on international donors to respond to the crisis,” he said.
He noted that poor preparedness and coordination across African nations led to severe delays in detecting and addressing the pandemic.
Magashi urged African countries to invest more in Prevention, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery (PPRR), as the new accountability framework aims to close these gaps.
“The framework highlights the importance of local vaccine production, improved infection prevention control (IPC) measures, and boosting research in Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR),” he added.
Dr. Opeyemi Adeosun, Programme Manager of the Health Reform Foundation of Nigeria, pointed out that the framework reveals a critical issue—insufficient budget allocations for health security.
“An analysis by the Legislative Initiative for Sustainable Development (LISDEL) found that many countries, including Nigeria, allocate little or no funding to health security in their national budgets,” he said.
He added that the AHBN’s new scorecard is designed to reverse this trend by encouraging increased budgetary commitments and more prudent spending.
The framework also advocates for greater inclusion of CSOs in health security planning and execution.
“CSOs play a vital role in community outreach and advocacy, yet they are often excluded from key decision-making processes, such as the Joint External Evaluation (JEE), a WHO tool used to assess national health security capacities,” Adeosun said.
He stressed that CSOs, being close to grassroots communities, can ensure accountability in underserved areas where government oversight is limited, and their involvement is crucial to the framework’s success.
Adeosun also noted that the Health Security Scorecard will offer a transparent mechanism for tracking progress on key indicators such as financing, governance, vaccine production, and biosafety.
“It will also monitor the collaboration between public health authorities and security forces to ensure a coordinated response to health emergencies,” he said.
He added that the scorecard would be updated quarterly, with data presented to key stakeholders, including government agencies, legislative bodies, and the media, to foster collaboration and ensure that commitments are met.
Hon. Mohammed Usman, Founder of the Lafiya Wealth Initiative, emphasized that the Africa CDC has been vital in strengthening the capacity of African nations to respond to health crises.
“Through the establishment of Technical Working Groups (TWGs), the CDC has improved the ability of public health institutions to act swiftly during disease outbreaks,” Usman noted.
However, he stressed that the AHBN framework calls for greater participation of CSOs in these groups to ensure all stakeholders contribute to shaping health security policies.
Ms. Ndi Nancy Saiboh, Executive Director of Actions for Development and Empowerment, Cameroon, also agreed that a robust accountability system is essential to preventing future pandemics.
“It’s not just about responding to crises when they happen; it’s about being prepared and having a transparent system in place to track progress,” Saiboh said.
She concluded by noting that the introduction of the African Regional Accountability Framework and Scorecard is a significant step toward building stronger, more resilient health systems across the continent.
With stronger collaboration between governments, CSOs, the media, and international partners, Saiboh believes that African nations can enhance their preparedness for future health emergencies and ensure that health security remains a priority.
