ILF 2026: Governments, Funders, Innovators and Implementers Make 10 Major Commitments to Advance Digital Health Across Africa

Abuja, Nigeria | August 8, 2026 —   The Insights Learning Forum (ILF) 2026 held from July 28–29, 2026, concluded in Abuja with a landmark Commitment Session.  The defining session  saw governments, development partners, funders, innovators, healthcare providers, youth leaders and implementing organizations make 10 major commitments to accelerate digital health transformation across Africa. The Commitment Session is designed to track the delivery of commitments through annual progress reviews, not simply announce new pledges.

The Insights Learning Forum (ILF) 2026, hosted by eHealth Africa and the Dala Africa Group, brought together more than 400 in-person delegates under the theme, “Insights. Partnerships. Inclusion. Interoperability. Investment.” The Forum moved beyond discussions of digital health challenges to deliver concrete commitments, strategic investments, and collaborative actions aimed at accelerating health systems transformation across the continent.

The commitments, announced at the close of the two-day Forum, focus on key priorities for strengthening health systems. These include expanding financing for scalable health innovations, strengthening quality primary healthcare, advancing maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health, supporting women-led entrepreneurship, widening access to quality healthcare, and promoting ethical health data sharing for interoperable digital health systems.

Beyond service delivery and investment, delegates also pledged to strengthen Africa’s innovation ecosystem by fostering locally led partnerships, expanding support for entrepreneurs and young innovators, improving knowledge sharing across the continent, reducing fragmentation in digital health initiatives, and translating strategic dialogue into measurable results. 

Speaking at the end of the two-day Forum, the Coordinating Minister of Health represented by Dr. Obi Adigwe, Director General of the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD) said the work being done by partners such as eHealth Africa demonstrates the power of collaboration in strengthening Nigeria’s health system. “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,” he added.

Similarly, the Honourable Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to building resilient, digitally enabled health systems, emphasizing the need to translate ambition into measurable results. He said, the ambition is to move beyond pilot projects towards scalable systems, beyond fragmented interventions towards integrated solutions, and beyond intention towards measurable impact. “Innovation is the engine of transformation, and digital health is its nervous system.” he added

In a statement, Dr. Muntaqa Umar-Sadiq, National Coordinator, Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp) Coordination Office, reiterated that sustainable health system transformation is not achieved through isolated projects, but through strong institutions that coordinate investments, align partners and ensure accountability. He said, “The future of healthcare depends on our ability to move from fragmented interventions to coordinated action.”

The Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPCHDA), Muyi Aina also emphasized that strengthening health systems requires more than investment alone, saying it requires partnerships, innovation and the smart use of technology. “By bringing together government, the private sector, development partners and communities, and by using data to generate actionable insights, we can build more responsive, inclusive and resilient health systems that reach everyone, including those in the most underserved communities,” he added

Reflecting on the Forum’s vision, Atef Fawaz, Executive Director of eHealth Africa, said the Insights Learning Forum was created to provide West Africa with a platform that brings together governments, development partners, innovators, researchers and implementers to accelerate health systems transformation across the continent.

“We want Africa to think and act as one. We need to look beyond geographical boundaries and work together to solve common challenges,” he said. “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.”

Jean Philbert Nsengimana, Chairman of the Africa HealthTech Summit and Chair of the Africa Digital Health Network, said Africa’s digital transformation depends on stronger continental integration and collaboration. “Integration is important to realize the full potential of innovation on our continent. We need to find solutions around donor dependency, fragmentation, and the lack of integration pathways into public health delivery platforms,” he said, adding that Africa must “put in place the infrastructure that allows our startups and our founders to grow faster.”

For her part, eHealth Africa’s Director of Partnerships and Programmes, Ota Akhigbe, said the Forum was intentionally designed to translate dialogue into coordinated action across the continent. “Partnerships are central to everything we do at eHealth Africa, and they are equally central to the vision of the Insights Learning Forum,” she said. 

She noted that the Commitment Session reflects the Forum’s emphasis on measurable action, adding that “we are focused on quality rather than quantity,” with participating organizations encouraged to make meaningful commitments that advance Africa’s digital health transformation.  “When you align the right stakeholders with the right investments and resources, you create the conditions for meaningful and lasting impact,” she added

The commitments reflect a shared determination to accelerate health systems transformation through practical collaboration rather than isolated action. They also establish a framework for accountability, with progress to be reviewed at future editions of the Forum.

About eHealth Africa

eHealth Africa is a nonprofit organization strengthening health systems across Africa through data-driven solutions and digital innovation. For more than 15 years, eHA has partnered with governments, development organizations, and communities to deliver scalable technology, operational expertise, and public health impact across the continent.

For more information, visit: www.ehealthafrica.org 

For more information about ILF 2026, visit: www.insightslearningforum.org 

Media Contact

Favour Oriaku
Communications Manager, eHealth Africa
Favour.Oriaku@ehealthafrica.org