WASHINGTON, D.C., GENEVA and LILONGWE, Malawi — Results for Development (R4D) announced on Nov. 13 it will manage a new network aimed at addressing the critical shortfall in health care financing for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
The network — the regional Financing Accelerator Network for NCDs (FAN) — is part of a new technical partnership between Access Accelerated, which is a collective of biopharmaceutical and life science companies, and the World Bank in close cooperation with R4D.
The initiative will work with country and local stakeholders to scale and promote sustainable health financing solutions through regionally hosted accelerators, the first of which will be in Sub-Saharan Africa. Gaps in health financing for NCDs are one of the most pressing barriers to addressing the growing NCD burden.
NCDs, including cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular and chronic respiratory diseases, as well as mental and neurological disorders, are responsible for approximately 41 million global deaths annually — a figure projected to rise to 52 million by 2030. This escalating challenge represents a significant threat to global health and economic growth. Despite the clear and urgent threat, current government spending and development assistance fall short of the investment needed to mitigate the rising death toll and its economic impact.
The Financing Accelerator Network for NCDs aims to address this challenge by supporting governments and local stakeholders in strengthening their NCD response and building more resilient health financing systems, with a focus on advancing universal health coverage and building strong primary health care systems — key goals within the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
“We are excited to support the new Access Accelerated-World Bank technical partnership, leveraging both our experience aligning actors across the development ecosystem and our expertise in health financing and cross-country learning to ultimately strengthen health systems across the globe,” said R4D President and CEO Gina Lagomarsino. “Through the FAN initiative, we are dedicated to collaborating with local change agents in various global settings, ensuring that our efforts have local relevance and global impact, empowering health systems to effectively address the epidemiological transition to NCDs.”
R4D will support the network of NCD financing accelerators across Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as in the Asia-Pacific region. This network will provide regional expertise on-demand technical support, cross-country learning opportunities and catalytic seed funding to programs aimed at improving NCD financing and health outcomes.
“We’ve heard from governments and local stakeholders that they need expertise, support, and locally relevant solutions to transform their health financing systems,” said Herb Riband, Director at Access Accelerated. “We have to respond to the call to help countries build financial and technical capacity to address NCDs and improve health outcomes.”
The first regional NCD Financing Accelerator will be hosted in Sub-Saharan Africa by the African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP). Sub-Saharan Africa faces the fastest-growing rates of NCD incidence and mortality, yet only 7.2% of government spending is allocated to health, far below the average of 12.4% in other regions. This stark discrepancy underscores the urgent need for new approaches to health financing.
“The growing evidence of the impact of NCDs in Africa, not just on health, but across all aspects of society, calls for forward thinking and innovation on the continent, to save lives and ensure wellbeing and prosperity,” said Dr. Rose Oronje, Director of Public Policy & Knowledge Translation and Head of Kenya Office at AFIDEP. “As the host of the first regional NCD Financing Accelerator, we will use evidence to unite and mobilize country change agents and empower local stakeholders to co-create solutions, foster cohesive communities of learners, and overcome common health financing challenges.”
In the coming months, FAN will prioritize a comprehensive analysis of the NCD financing landscape across the African region. This effort, already underway, engages government officials, policymakers, and other stakeholders to identify key challenges, opportunities, and priorities. The findings, expected by early 2025, will guide the learning agenda and shape strategies and solutions to drive on-the-ground impact across the continent.
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About the Financing Accelerator Network for NCDs
The Financing Accelerator Network for NCDs (FAN) is a transformative initiative established via a new technical partnership between Access Accelerated and the World Bank, in close cooperation with Results for Development, to build a growing coalition of global and local organizations in support of improving sustainable financing for NCDs in low- and middle-income countries. FAN operates through regionally based NCD Financing Accelerators that support governments and local stakeholders with technical support, cross-country learning, and catalytic seed funding to advance local NCD financing programs. The African Institute for Development Policy will host the inaugural accelerator in Sub-Saharan Africa. This initiative aligns with and will support the World Bank’s goal to provide quality health services to 1.5 billion people by 2030 as well as Access Accelerated’s mission to drive scalable, sustainable progress on NCDs as part of universal health coverage. Learn more at www.ncdfinancing.org.
About R4D
Results for Development (R4D) is a leading nonprofit global development partner. We collaborate with change agents — government officials, civil society leaders and social innovators — supporting them as they navigate complex change processes to achieve large-scale, equitable outcomes in health, education and nutrition. We work with country leaders to diagnose challenges, co-create, innovate and implement solutions built on evidence and diverse stakeholder input, and engage in learning to adapt, iterate and improve. We also strengthen global, regional and country ecosystems to support country leaders with expertise, evidence, and innovations. R4D helps country leaders solve their immediate challenges today, while also strengthening systems and institutions to address tomorrow’s challenges. And we share what we learn so others around the world can achieve results for development too. www.R4D.org
