SDGs: Access Bank Advocates Innovative Financing Models

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

To achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), deliberate efforts must be made to leverage innovative financing models and strategic partnerships.

This was the submission of Access Bank Plc at the 2024 Medic West Africa event organised by ABCHealth in collaboration with Informa Markets and Access Bank.

At the programme themed Healthcare Investments in Africa: Mobilizing the Private Sector to Drive Healthcare Investments in Africa, the Group Head of Commercial Banking Division at Access Bank, Mr Ralph Opara, noted that collaborative effort between the public and private sectors is not only crucial but essential to driving innovation, improving healthcare accessibility, and ensuring sustainable development across the continent.

“The government can’t carry the burden of the health sector alone. Hence, the private sector must explore and implement innovative financing models and strategic partnerships to bridge the healthcare investment gap,” he stated.

Business Post reports that the 2024 Medic West Africa served as a platform for stakeholders across industries to deliberate and chart a path through which corporates can achieve the SDGs.

The discussions also explored strategies for strengthening healthcare infrastructure, leveraging technological advancements, as well as enhancing community health initiatives.

Walking the talk on partnerships, Access Bank partnered with the Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria (PSHAN), to launch the Adopt-A-Health Facility Program (ADHFP) with the primary aim of delivering, at least, one global standard Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) in each of the 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Nigeria.

So far, the initiative has resulted in over 180 PHCs adopted across the country.

Other notable participants at the event include Mories Atoki, CEO, ABCHealth; Jane Ike-Okoli, Head of Specialised Sectors Business & Commercial Banking, Stanbic IBTC; Odunayo Sanyo, Executive Director, MTN Foundation; Ibironke Akinmade, Group Head, Health Finance, Sterling Bank, and Zouera Youssoufou, MD/CEO, Aliko Dangote Foundation.