On this International Day Of Epidemic Preparedness, we reflect on our wins towards averting epidemics through increasing health security budgets at the country level:
🇺🇬 Uganda: US$15.4 million secured for epidemic preparedness in FY 2024–25—reducing donor dependence from 84% and establishing the country’s first dedicated Public Health Emergency Operations Centre budget line.
🇳🇬 Nigeria: Funding for the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control more than doubled to US$7.7 million over two years, with sustainable financing secured through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund. In Kano State, US$4.76 million in new epidemic preparedness and response (EPR) funding over three years established Nigeria’s first state-level epidemic preparedness budget line.
🇪🇹 Ethiopia: First-ever epidemic preparedness budget line established and renewed.
🇰🇪 Kenya: Government adoption of a One Health Strategic Plan.
This work was a result of our partnership with civil society across Africa to reshape how countries finance health security, following GHAI’s proven methodology from our Budget Advocacy Toolkit for Epidemic Preparedness.
Building on this foundation, GHAI’s current Advocacy Accelerator cohort (photos) is advancing early-stage, country-led initiatives focused on strengthening domestic financing for health security and noncommunicable diseases—translating evidence, budget analysis and advocacy strategy into implementation-ready priorities in🇳🇬Nigeria, 🇱🇷 Liberia and 🇺🇬 Uganda.
Sustainable health security depends on resilient public health systems, bold investments in monitoring and response, and—most critically— political will backed by domestic financing. Civil society advocacy, armed with the right tools and support, can build that will and transform budget commitments into action.
Future epidemics are inevitable—not a question of if, but when.But here is the good news: with the power of advocacy and sustainable domestic financing, the next epidemic is preventable.
