Nairobi, Kenya | 27 April 2026
On the sidelines of the World Health Summit Regional Meeting 2026, the Joint Learning Network for Universal Health Coverage (JLN), in collaboration with Amref Health Africa, convened a high-level roundtable dialogue on “Smart Funding for Sustainable Change: Catalytic Investment in Country-Led Reform.”
The session brought together development partners, donors, and health systems leaders to explore how strategic investments can accelerate country-led reforms and strengthen health systems through peer learning, collaboration, and locally driven innovation.
Participants were introduced to the unique value proposition of the Joint Learning Network (JLN) and the Joint Learning Fund (JLF). Discussions highlighted JLN’s model of country-led problem solving, peer-to-peer learning, and co-development of practical knowledge products tailored to the realities of low- and middle-income countries. The dialogue also showcased how JLF’s catalytic grants support countries to contextualize global knowledge, pilot innovative approaches, strengthen advocacy efforts, and scale successful policy and systems reforms.
Country leaders shared firsthand experiences of how engagement with JLN and support from the Joint Learning Fund have contributed to tangible health system improvements while creating lasting networks of trust, collaboration, and innovation. Perspectives were shared by Teyah Sackie Moore, Assistant Minister of Health for Curative Services, Liberia; Caroline Ngoepe, Director of District and Development, South Africa’s National Department of Health; and Ruby Aileen Mensah, Director of Strategic Health Purchasing at Ghana’s National Health Insurance Authority.
The discussion underscored the value of flexible, catalytic financing in helping countries move from ideas to implementation and highlighted the importance of investing in locally led solutions that respond to real-world health system challenges.
Representatives from leading global health organizations and funding institutions, including the Gates Foundation, Wellcome Trust, Africa CDC, WHO Regional Office for Africa, Institute for Healthcare Transformation (ISPOR), Johnson & Johnson, Novo Nordisk, Roche, and UNFPA Africa, participated in the dialogue. The engagement opened new opportunities for collaboration and partnership, with follow-up discussions planned to explore potential investments in country-led learning and health system strengthening initiatives.
As countries continue to pursue Universal Health Coverage, the roundtable reinforced a central message: sustainable change is most effective when countries lead, peers learn together, and catalytic funding is strategically deployed to unlock innovation, implementation, and scale.
