LUSAKA, ZAMBIA – 26 February 2026 – Professor Dr. Joseph Akinkugbe Adelegan, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Partners in Population and Development (PPD), delivered a series of powerful addresses at the 17th Network of African Parliamentary Committees of Health (NEAPACOH) Meeting, urging African parliamentarians to take on a central role in achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) through bold legislation, innovative financing, and strengthened South-South Cooperation.
The high-level meeting, held from February 25-26 at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre, convened under the theme, “Advancing Health Systems for emergency response, equity, resilience and sustainability in the context of attaining Universal Health Coverage (UHC): Re-positioning the Role of Parliamentarians.” Professor Adelegan played a pivotal role in the proceedings, delivering the opening remarks, a keynote presentation, and the closing remarks for the influential gathering of African lawmakers.
In his keynote address on “Innovative & Catalytic Financing for Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) to Achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC),” Professor Adelegan outlined a strategic financial roadmap to bridge the significant funding gaps in Africa’s health sector. He called for a move beyond traditional donor funding towards a more sustainable model that includes earmarked health taxes, social health insurance expansion, blended finance models, diaspora bonds, and impact investment instruments. He emphasized that these financial frameworks must be paired with catalytic investments in high-impact areas such as community health workers, local pharmaceutical manufacturing, and digital health platforms.
Throughout his speeches, Professor Adelegan consistently underscored the indispensable role of legislators in transforming health systems. He challenged the parliamentarians to move beyond being mere endorsers of policy to becoming the primary drivers of reform.
“Parliamentarians are not peripheral actors in the health ecosystem. They are central architects of national resilience,” Professor Adelegan stated in his opening remarks. “Through legislation, budget approvals, oversight, and constituency representation, parliaments shape the trajectory of health systems. Re-positioning parliamentarians means recognizing them not merely as policy approvers, but as champions of resilience, custodians of equity, and stewards of sustainability.”
The meeting culminated in the adoption of the Lusaka Call to Action, a landmark document that Professor Adelegan urged should be a measurable and actionable commitment rather than a symbolic gesture. In his closing remarks, he championed the inclusion of specific, numeric benchmarks within the Call to Action, including commitments to reduce out-of-pocket health expenditure below 20%, achieve annual maternal mortality reductions of at least 10%, and close 30% of the unmet need for contraception by 2030.
Professor Adelegan reaffirmed PPD’s unwavering commitment to supporting these efforts through its mandate to promote South-South and Triangular Cooperation. He highlighted that PPD stands ready to partner with NEAPACOH to share proven models for insurance reform, exchange financing innovations, and collaborate on strengthening the health workforce and local pharmaceutical production across the continent.
“May history record that in February 2026, African parliamentarians gathered in Lusaka not merely to discuss UHC but to legislate its future,” he concluded. “The future of Africa’s health systems depends not on what we have said here but on what we will enact tomorrow.”
Professor Adelegan’s influential participation in the 17th NEAPACOH Meeting has reinforced PPD’s position as a key partner in advancing health equity and sustainable development across the Global South, emphasizing that legislative action and financial innovation are the cornerstones of building a healthier future for all Africans.
PPD Executive Director with the Speaker of the National Assembly of Zambia, Rt. Hon Dr Nelly B.K. Mutti
PPD Executive Director with Dr Amina Aminu Dorayi, the Regional Portfolio Director, West and Central Africa, PATHFINDER
:: Remarks by PPD ED at the Opening
:: Remarks by PPD ED at the Closing
:: Presentation by PPD ED on “Innovative & Catalytic Financing for Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) to Achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC)”
