The Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI) builds support for government investments in health security, including approaches to pandemic prevention, preparedness and response (PPR) and the interdependence of the health of people, animals and ecosystems (One Health). We draw on our extensive experience conducting health-focused advocacy campaigns around the world as we work with local partners to:
Engage political decision-makers about the need to prioritize health security.
Strengthen capacity in government institutions, civil society and media to advocate for health security funding.
Demonstrate public demand for investments through media coverage and public discourse.
Develop political strategies to remove bottlenecks affecting the allocation and release of health security funds.
Track budget drafting through execution to inform continued budget advocacy.
Strengthen advocacy capacity for the prevention of wild animal-to-human transmission of zoonotic diseases in Asia.
Nigeria’s funding for the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) grew to a record 2.9 billion naira (US$7.7 million) in fiscal year 2021 – more than double from the 1.4 billion naira (US $3.5M) appropriated for the agency two years prior.
2022
A citizen’s petition calling for the establishment of a Public Health Emergency Fund in Ghana, developed by GHAI and its partner SEND-Ghana, resulted in a request by Ghana’s Ministry of Finance to develop and submit an official proposal to establish the fund.
2023
Kano State, Nigeria, launched its Action Plan for Health Security, a roadmap for strengthening the core capacities required to prevent, detect and respond to public health threats and emergencies.
GHAI’s Prevent Epidemics program developed the Budget Advocacy Toolkit for Epidemics Preparedness, based GHAI’s experience in Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal, to support government and civil society advocacy for epidemic preparedness. The Toolkit is a learning resource that describes how to implement each step of the budget advocacy cycle and provides instructive questions and worksheets to guide the planning and implementation of an advocacy strategy to catalyze political will for epidemic preparedness funding.
In Nigeria, advocacy by GHAI and its partners resulted in increased funding for the NCDC and other national action plan for health security ministries, department and agencies. In Kano State, advocacy by GHAI and its partners resulted in the creation of new and sustained funding for epidemic preparedness and response in Kano state.
An analysis conducted by the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI) determined that Uganda’s ability to respond to epidemics was dependent on donor grants – an unsustainable situation.
Kano State improved its ability to prevent, detect and respond to disease outbreaks by establishing a budget line for epidemic preparedness and response (EPR) after civil society organizations (CSOs) made the case for increased and sustained funding.
Nigeria doubled funding for its Center for Disease Control over two years, and Kano state added a new budget line for epidemic preparedness, following strategic advocacy led by local civil society organizations supported by GHAI.
You're invited to celebrate the graduation of the 2025-2026 cohort of the CSO Budget Advocacy Accelerator: September 15, 2026 at 9:00 AM ET | 2:00 PM UTC. RSVP here.
Ahead of the ceremony, here's a look at what this cohort achieved.
Over 10 months, GHAI's Advocacy Accelerator strengthened the capacity of 12 civil society organizations (CSOs) from 11 countries across Africa and Asia to influence domestic health financing, combining hands-on learning, expert mentorship and peer exchange. Through capstone projects spanning cardiovascular health, drowning prevention, health security, mental health, road safety and tobacco control, this cohort achieved concrete results.
