Africa Health Business Symposium I

In an aging world, Africa has the advantage of a young and growing population and will soon have the fastest urbanisation rate in the world. It is expected that by 2034 Africa will have a larger workforce than either China or India. However, job creation is and will be outpacing growth in the African labor force. New opportunities can come from accelerating technological change for consumers and businesses as Africa still has plenty of resources.

Despite the general steady economic growth and positive outlook for further increase in household consumption and business spending, Africa still bears a disproportionately high disease burden. The continent carries 25% of the global disease burden, yet it is home to only about 14% of the world’s population. Despite the high disease burden, Africa receives 1 – 2% of the global expenditure on health and is served by only 3% of the world’s healthcare workforce. The public sector is not able to cater for the healthcare needs of the entire population and with the growth of the GDP of many African economies, the private health sector involvement is also on the rise which means that governments will have to play a stronger role in unleashing renewed dynamism.

It is with this background in mind that the Africa Health Business Symposium (AHBS) was established; to serve as a platform for intra-regional discussion to strengthen the roles played by both private and public health sectors with support from development partners to promote an effective PPP in health dialogue within African countries. The AHBS plays a pivotal role in the beginning of a momentous change by unifying African countries under a single umbrella.