eHealth Africa Launches Insights Report, Tracks 11 Health Commitments

The report, launched in Abuja, documented  key discussions, lessons and commitments from the two-day ILF 2026, which brought together government officials, public health experts, technology and development partners, researchers and private sector leaders to examine challenges confronting Africa’s health systems.

A major feature of the report is a dedicated Commitment Table tracking 11 public commitments made by participating institutions, including eHealth Africa, during the Forum.

The organisations said the mechanism was established to ensure that commitments made publicly do not end with the conclusion of the conference, but remain visible and can be followed up and assessed by the wider health community.

eHealth Africa’s Director of Partnerships and Programs, Ota Akhigbe, said the report reflects one of the central objectives of the ILF — ensuring that conversations and partnerships generated at the forum result in concrete action.

She said the forum “was never intended to end when the last session closed,” stressing that the report would provide a means of documenting lessons, tracking commitments and measuring progress.

“We wanted the conversations, partnerships and commitments made at the Forum to translate into action,” Akhigbe said.

She added that the organisers wanted ILF 2027 to demonstrate not only the conversations that took place, but also the progress resulting from them.

“As we look towards ILF 2027, we want to be able to point not only to the conversations we had, but to the progress those conversations helped create,” she said.

Also speaking ahead of the launch, Managing Director of Nigeria Health Watch, Vivianne Ihekweazu, said Africa must move beyond the proliferation of digital health pilot projects to ensure that successful innovations become integrated into health systems.

She said, “Africa has no shortage of digital health innovation. What we need is to move from pilots to practical solutions that are integrated into health systems, sustainably financed, and built around the people they serve.”

Ihekweazu noted that the 2026 Forum brought together stakeholders across the digital health ecosystem to make commitments towards achieving greater integration and sustainability.

She added that Nigeria Health Watch was proud to be part of the process.

The report further noted that ILF 2026 was anchored on evidence of innovations, investments and collaborations already producing results across Africa, rather than focusing solely on theoretical discussions about the future of health systems.

Participants examined practical examples of what was working and considered how such interventions could be strengthened, connected and scaled across the continent.

The Forum also focused on areas including stronger collaboration, interoperability, sustainable investment and the use of digital innovation to improve health outcomes.

As co-author of the report, Nigeria Health Watch will provide an independent perspective in the accountability process by reviewing reported progress against evidence submitted by eHealth Africa during each reporting cycle.

The organisations, however, clarified that at the initial stage, the commitments are being recorded as eHealth Africa-reported, with independent review expected to follow as evidence is submitted ahead of the 2027 Forum.

The organisers said the newly launched report and Learning Brief would serve as a resource for governments, policymakers, development partners, implementers, researchers and innovators, while providing a common reference point for translating the insights from ILF 2026 into action.

eHealth Africa is expected to use the Commitment Table to follow up on the 11 commitments, monitor progress and guide continued engagement with partners ahead of the next edition of the Forum.

.