ILF 2026: Governments, Partners Make 10 Digital Health Commitments for Africa
- The Insights Learning Forum 2026 ended in Abuja with a landmark Commitment Session drawing over 400 delegates from across Africa
- Governments, funders, and health organisations announced 10 commitments spanning financing, maternal health, and digital data sharing
- eHealth Africa said progress on each commitment will be tracked through annual reviews, not left as unfulfilled pledges
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Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 8 years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues
FCT, Abuja - The Insights Learning Forum (ILF) 2026 closed in Abuja on July 29 with a defining Commitment Session in which governments, development partners, funders, healthcare providers, youth leaders, and implementing organisations announced 10 concrete pledges to speed up digital health transformation across Africa.
The two-day forum, hosted by eHealth Africa and the Dala Africa Group from July 28 to 29 under the theme "Insights. Partnerships. Inclusion. Interoperability. Investment," gathered more than 400 in-person delegates.
Source: UGC
Rather than limiting itself to identifying problems, the forum was structured to produce specific commitments and collaborative actions.
This was contained in a statement issued by the Communications Manager, eHealth Africa, Favour Oriaku and made available to Legit.ng on Monday, August 10, 2026.
What the 10 commitments cover
The pledges target several priorities: expanding financing for scalable health innovations, strengthening primary healthcare quality, advancing maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health, and supporting women-led entrepreneurship.
Delegates also committed to widening access to quality care and promoting ethical health data sharing to support interoperable digital health systems.
Beyond service delivery, participants pledged to back Africa's innovation ecosystem by fostering locally led partnerships, expanding support for young innovators, improving knowledge sharing, and cutting fragmentation in digital health initiatives.
Nigeria's Coordinating Minister of Health, represented by Dr Obi Adigwe, Director General of the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), said the work of partners like eHealth Africa shows what collaboration can achieve.
"Our focus now is to build on this momentum by fostering stronger partnerships, accelerating innovation and creating an ecosystem where digital health solutions can thrive and deliver lasting impact."
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, called for ambition to go beyond pilot projects. "Innovation is the engine of transformation, and digital health is its nervous system."
Accountability built into framework
Atef Fawaz, Executive Director of eHealth Africa, said the forum was built specifically to move beyond talk.
"Our goal is not simply to make commitments, but to track them. Each year, we intend to review what was promised, what was achieved, what worked, what did not, and what lessons can be carried forward."
Ota Akhigbe, eHealth Africa's Director of Partnerships and Programmes, echoed that focus, saying the Commitment Session was designed to drive coordinated action.
"When you align the right stakeholders with the right investments and resources, you create the conditions for meaningful and lasting impact."
Dr Muntaqa Umar-Sadiq, National Coordinator of the Sector-Wide Approach Coordination Office, stressed that lasting health system change depends on institutional coordination rather than isolated projects.
"The future of healthcare depends on our ability to move from fragmented interventions to coordinated action."
Jean Philbert Nsengimana, Chairman of the Africa HealthTech Summit, called for stronger continental integration, saying Africa must build "the infrastructure that allows our startups and our founders to grow faster."
Source: Legit.ng
