Ouagadougou: Prime Minister Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ou©draogo concluded the National Forum on Health Financing (FONAFIS) in Ouagadougou on Friday, marking the end of a comprehensive three-day discussion focused on enhancing the financial framework of Burkina Faso's health system. The forum culminated in significant recommendations, particularly emphasizing the acceleration of digitalization in management procedures and dematerialization of financial flows to minimize cash handling and bolster transparency.
According to Burkina Information Agency, the forum participants deliberated on the challenges faced in financing the Burkinabe health system, resulting in recommendations categorized into strategic, technical, and institutional areas. Strategically, it was urged that the Ministry of Health and its partners formalize their commitments through a framework document to convert national guidelines into tangible actions, thereby enhancing accountability and transparency. Additionally, there was a strong push for the better utilization of digital tools for optimizing resource mobilization and management.
On the technical front, proposals were made to refine budget execution and financial governance. This includes utilizing existing legal frameworks for healthcare spending relief, fostering agreements between organizations with similar needs, and reviewing funding for community health workers. In terms of financial governance, the forum highlighted the importance of mapping vulnerabilities like corruption and embezzlement and advocated for a transition from traditional to performance auditing. The establishment of a multidisciplinary economic and budgetary analysis unit was also proposed.
Regarding resource management, there was a call to expedite the digitization of procedures, especially in revenue, inventory, and financial management. The dematerialization of financial flows was seen as essential to securing transactions and enhancing transparency in healthcare facilities. Moreover, the forum underscored the importance of strengthening local governance through participatory budgeting and improving coordination between the budgets of health facilities and local authorities.
Looking forward, it was recommended that FONAFIS be held biennially, with a mechanism established to monitor the recommendations and a technical group set up for preparing future editions. This is aimed at making the forum a sustainable platform for sharing best practices in health financing.
The Health Financing Forum, held from March 25 to 27, 2026, under the theme "Building an efficient and equitable health financing system for health sovereignty and the achievement of the objectives of the National Development Plan 2026-2030", gathered top authorities from Burkina Faso, national health sector actors, international partners, and health ministers from eight invited countries. Participants included representatives from organizations such as the WHO Africa Office, World Bank, Global Fund, and UNFPA, alongside other international institutions.