Executive Director' Report to the 2 nd AfHEA General Assembly

1. Executive Director' Report to the 2ndAfHEA General Assembly Dr Chris Atim Executive Director, AfHEA Saly, Senegal March 2011

2. Outline

3. 2011 Conference structures

4. 2nd Conference Management framework AfHEA Board Executive Director Scientific Committee Executive Committee AfHEA Conference Planning Committee Local Planning Committee

5. Conference Management – Oversight Board of Trustees Responsibility: • Overall oversight Membership: • Dr Eva das DoresPascoal, WHO Country Health Economist, Mozambique - Chairperson • Prof Diane McIntyre, University of Cape Town, South Africa • Dr MiloudKaddar, Health economist, WHO-IVB, Geneva • Prof KodjoEvlo, Head of Department of Economics, University of Lome, Togo • Dr GermanoMwabu, African Economic Research Consortium, Nairobi, Kenya (now at Havard) • Dr JosesKirigia, WHO Health Financing Advisor, Brazzaville, Congo • Mr Allie Kibwika-Muyinda, ECSA Health Community • Dr LamineFarbaSall, WHO HEC, Coordinator of Senegal HE network • MrEzouaKodjoNiamke, President of Ivorian Health Economists Network • Dr Charlotte Zikusooka, Health economist, Uganda • Chris Atim, Executive Director

6. Conference Management - scientific Scientific Committee: Responsibility : • Reviewed and accepted abstracts, recommended poster presentations, ensured quality presentations. Membership: • Prof Di McIntyre, University of Cape Town, Chairperson • Prof Lucy Gilson, University of Cape Town • Dr Francois Diop, Senior Health Economist, Abt Associates, Senegal • Dr Catherine Goodman, of the London School of Hygiene & Trop. Medicine and the Kenya Medical Research Institute • Dr MiloudKaddar, Senior Health Economist, WHO-Geneva • Dr Charlotte M. Zikusooka, Health economist, Uganda • Dr Charles Hongoro, Senior Health Economist, Aurum Institute of Health Research, South Africa • Dr Eva Pascoal, WHO-Mozambique • Dr MoustaphaThiam, Professor at CESAG Health Economics Institute, Senegal • Dr MiloudKaddar, WHO-IVB, Geneva • Dr Hyacinth Ichoku, Health economist and lecturer, Nigeria • Dr Moses Aikins, School of Public Health, Ghana • Dr EyobZere, WHO, Malawi

7. Other conference committees 1 AfHEA Conference Planning Committee (CPC) • Responsible for overseeing the day to day preparations, including coordination, logistics and financial administration. Membership: • Chris Atim, Senegal • Ms Marina Yo, Cote d’Ivoire • Mr Pascal Ndiaye, Senegal • Mr Divine Ikenwilo, Scotland • Mr Arthur Rutaro, Uganda • Dr Alice Soumare, Burkina Faso • Chinwe Ogbonna, Nigeria • Djesika Amendah, Kenya • Morris De Kouame, Senegal

8. Other conference committees -2 Local Planning Committee, (LPC) Senegal Responsibility: • Day to day operations toward the hosting of the conference particularly ensuring local preparation and liaisons Membership • NdeyeMaguetteGueyeNdiaye • FarbaLamineSall • DaoudaMbengue

9. Conference Partners • Direct funding • Rockefeller Foundation • World Bank • IDRC • HEPNET • UNAIDS • UNFPA • P4H • WHO • Conference co-hosts: • The Ministry of Health and Prevention, Senegal • CESAG Health Institute

10. Progress Report – key highlights

11. Key achievements – management issues • Operationalization of organs – Board of Trustees, Executive Committee and Sub-regional advisers. • AfHEA became registered in Africa, giving it legal footing and license to operate, in addition to previous UK license • Office accommodation secured in Ghana Health Service with engagement of short-term consultant administrators • AfHEA web site active esp for conference management [www.afhea.org] .

12. Key achievements – Technical support services • Operational guidelines for Technical Working Groups • AfHEA online forum for information sharing, discussions, dissemination of technical resource materials, job and research announcements, etc • Informed AU Ministers of Health meeting, AU Summit, conferences on MNCH, health sector governance and leadership, WAHO, African Parliamentarians network, etc • Served as Technical partners to workshops - WB African Flagship course on health financing and HHA partners “Financial access for the poor”

13. Key achievements – Strategic operations • Expanded AfHEA’s partnership base • Conducted landscape assessment by Accenture Development Partners • Revised Strategic Plan informed by assessments – 3 main programme areas • Workplan and Communication packages as co-deliverables • Explored new frontiers and represented the interest of African Health Economists – IHEA, WAHEN, HEPNet, GHSR Symposium, etc

14. Key challenges • Multi-year funding still under discussion with partners • Technical Working Groups not operationalised • Administrative challenges in maintaining a fully functional office in Accra, Ghana • Issue of value for money too • Challenge of irregular payment of membership dues

15. Perspectives for next few years ahead • Focus: Fully operationalize business plan • Concentrate on providing support to regional, sub-regional and country levels; • Convene series of Policy related workshops and dialogues for top policy makers in Africa; • Major overhaul of our web site – discussion with iHEA • Provide technical support to regional, sub-regional policy level bodies, - AU, WAHO , ECSA, etc • Sustain and expand AfHEA’s partnership base in support of the association’s objectives; and • Conclude the development of AfHEA’s consultancy data base. • Improve AfHEA’s mechanism for the payment of annual and membership dues, guided by the thoughts and suggestions emerging from the forum • Discussion with iHEA on facility for online payments • Work on refining our business model with an eye to sustainability

16. Recommendations • Revise business plan period to run from 2011 -2014 • Extend our use of new technology for decision making and other activities

17. Conclusion • Thank the Board and Executive Committee members • Thank AfHEA’s membership • Our Medium term goal is to become the ‘Go to place’ for Health Economics, Health financing and Health Policy issues in Africa; • With our collective effort, we definitely can!

18. End