EIB Launches €10M Initiative to Strengthen Health Investment Projects in Africa

EIB Global, the development arm of the European Investment Bank (EIB), has committed €10 million toward a new technical assistance programme designed to help sub-Saharan African countries develop national health projects capable of attracting larger-scale domestic and international investment.

Angola, Burundi, Ethiopia, and Zambia have become the first countries to participate in the initiative, which aims to strengthen healthcare systems and accelerate progress toward universal health coverage across the region.

Focus on Primary Healthcare and Investment Readiness

The programme will support governments in improving the planning, prioritisation, and design of healthcare projects, particularly in primary healthcare infrastructure and services.

According to EIB Global, the goal is to help countries prepare “bankable” health sector projects that can secure financing from development institutions, private investors, and other funding partners.

The initiative forms part of the Health Impact Investment Platform (HIIP), a partnership between:

• EIB Global

• The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB)

• The World Health Organization (WHO)

Together, the three organisations are providing an initial €30 million for technical assistance and capacity-building activities aimed at unlocking broader health investment opportunities.

Coordinated Global Support for African Health Systems

EIB Vice-President Marek Mora said stronger coordination between public institutions, development banks, and private investors is essential to improving healthcare financing across Africa.

“Our partnership with global partners to support Africa’s health illustrates what coordinated action can achieve when public and private actors work together around nationally defined priorities,” Mr Mora said.

“By joining forces, multilateral development banks, global health organisations and philanthropic partners can help reduce risks, crowd in private capital and align investment with local needs and priorities as well as broader initiatives such as global health policies.”

The initiative seeks to align investment strategies around country-led priorities while reducing fragmentation in development financing efforts.

Addressing Longstanding Financing Challenges

Many African health systems continue to face significant funding and infrastructure challenges, despite growing demand for healthcare services and population growth across the continent.

EIB Global noted that investment in health systems has historically been constrained by:

• Limited institutional and technical capacity

• Regulatory and administrative complexities

• Heavy dependence on grant funding

• Limited experience with debt-financed health projects

• A shortage of large-scale investment-ready projects

These factors have made it difficult to attract substantial long-term financing into healthcare infrastructure and service delivery.

The HIIP programme aims to overcome these barriers by helping governments develop coordinated national investment plans capable of attracting concessional finance and private capital.

Country-Led Investment Approach

The programme promotes a country-led model designed to ensure investments align closely with national health priorities and development goals.

According to EIB Global, the approach is intended to:

• Reduce duplication and fragmentation of funding

• Accelerate project preparation and readiness

• Maximise the impact of limited financial resources

• Strengthen long-term health system resilience

Partners involved in the programme hope the initiative will create stronger pipelines of investable healthcare projects while improving access to financing for critical public health infrastructure.

Expansion Beyond Africa

While the current focus is on sub-Saharan Africa, the Health Impact Investment Platform is also working with several low- and middle-income countries in Asia.

Countries already participating outside Africa include:

• Kazakhstan

• The Maldives

• Tajikistan

The broader initiative reflects increasing international efforts to strengthen healthcare systems and improve preparedness following lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing global public health challenges.