Feb. 18, 2022

The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus have met with the President of the European Investment Bank (EIB) to discuss the WHO-EIB initiative aimed at promoting an innovative impact investment that will support health systems strengthening in Africa with a focus on Primary Health Care (PHC).

A joint statement was released by both organisations on on Thursday, WHO welcomed the new EIB commitments to support impact investing, in the context of a new tripartite initiative established to support countries across Africa to close the health funding gap, building resilient health systems based on a solid foundation of PHC, to help them reach health-related SDGs.

The EIB President announced € 500 million made available with the aim of mobilizing € 1 billion of new investment to in this partnership supporting resilient health system strengthening based on PHC.

“WHO is joining forces with African partners, the EIB and the European Union to marry this significant investment with WHO’s experience and know-how to build resilient health systems. Innovative financing schemes such as this would bring together the work of WHO and the EIB, in a broader and systemic partnership combining grants, WHO technical assistance and impact investments”, the statement read.