Access Bank backs innovative financing models for SDGs
Business a.m.
L-R: Mories Atoki, CEO, ABCHealth; Jane Ike-Okoli, head of specialised sectors business & commercial banking, Stanbic IBTC; Ralph Opara, group head, commercial banking division (Lagos 2), Access Bank PLC; Odunayo Sanyo, executive director, MTN Foundation; Ibironke Akinmade, group head, health finance, Sterling Bank, and Zouera Youssoufou, MD/CEO, Aliko Dangote Foundation, at the 2024 Medic West Africa event hosted by ABCHealth in partnership with Informa Markets in Lagos, recently.
Access Bank, a renowned financial institution with a long-standing commitment to spearheading change in African healthcare, once again stood at the forefront of this noble pursuit at the 2024 Medic West Africa Event, jointly organised by ABCHealth and Informa Markets. The gathering of healthcare visionaries provided the ideal platform for Access Bank to underscore its resolute dedication to driving positive transformation across the African healthcare landscape.
The event, themed “Healthcare Investments in Africa: Mobilizing the Private Sector to Drive Healthcare Investments in Africa,” brought together healthcare stakeholders across diverse industries. Their collective vision was to devise a roadmap for corporates to successfully adopt innovative financing models and forge strategic partnerships that would catalyse the attainment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) in Africa. The discussions also explored strategies for strengthening healthcare infrastructure,leveraging technological advancements, as well as enhancing community health initiatives.
Lending his voice to the conversation, Ralph Opara, group head, commercial banking division at Access Bank Plc, stressed; “The government can’t carry the burden of the health sector alone. Hence, it is imperative that the private sector explores and implements innovative financing models and strategic partnerships to bridge the healthcare investment gap.”
Opara noted that collaborative effort between the public and private sectors is not only crucial but essential to driving innovation, improving healthcare accessibility, and ensuring sustainable development across the continent.
Walking the talk on partnerships, Access Bank partnered with the Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria (PSHAN), to launch the Adopt-A-Health Facility Program (ADHFP) with the primary aim of delivering, at least, one global standard Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) in each of the 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Nigeria. So far, the initiative has resulted in over 180 PHCs adopted across the country.
Other notable participants at the event include Mories Atoki, CEO, ABCHealth; Jane Ike-Okoli, head of specialised sectors business & commercial banking, Stanbic IBTC; Odunayo Sanyo, executive director, MTN Foundation; Ibironke Akinmade, group head, health finance, Sterling Bank; and Zouera Youssoufou, MD/CEO, Aliko Dangote Foundation.