COVID-19 has highlighted the importance of healthcare infrastructure and healthcare, and medicines security across Africa, and the urgent need to significantly increase investment into the industry, and related regional value chains, to support Agenda 2063, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

African pension and sovereign wealth funds through the Continental Business Network (CBN), are investigating the role which they can play through the use of capital, knowledge and portfolio companies, to Build Africa’s Healthcare System Back Better in a Post COVID-19 Economy.

To achieve this, the CBN has established the CBN Healthcare Infrastructure Investment Working Group initiative.

The primary aim of the CBN Agribusiness Infrastructure Investment Working Group, is to strengthen Africa’s Agribusiness infrastructure in a sustainable manner, by mobilizing private capital allocations and finance for investable Agribusiness investment opportunities, and to highlight policy bottlenecks and solutions, to attract long-term private capital to the continent’s Agribusiness industry.

The Working Group’s activities are designed to build on and compliment the African Union Development Agency’s (AUDA’s) investment initiatives, championed through Grow Africa, Move Africa, the African Infrastructure Investment Guarantee Mechanism (AIGM) and the Co-Guarantee Platform (CGP) housed at the African Development Bank (AfDB).

The Working Group will collaborate widely with investors and stakeholders, to crowd-in domestic and international capital and blended finance, to build and sustain an investable, globally competitive and investment friendly, Pan-African Agribusiness sector that supports Agenda 2063, the SDG’s and the AfCFTA.

The Working Group aims to leverage the 5% Infrastructure Investment Agenda and the nexus between Infrastructure, Energy and Agribusiness to achieve its goals.

• To present the global attractiveness of Africa for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in key Healthcare sectors like Biotechnology Research and Development.
• Support the AfCFTA through the establishment of Healthcare Manufacturing Hubs in Special Economic Zones in each sub region.
• Drive Artificial Intelligence (AI) innovation as an enabler of growth, encompassing solutions like mobile services, digitalisation, and online procurement and logistics.
• Support the African Union (AU) to achieve the goals of Agenda 2063, through the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 3 – “Good Health and Wellbeing”.

• Bankable Healthcare Investment Pipeline Database initiative
• Investable Healthcare Data initiative
• Local and regional manufacturing initiative for medical supplies and medicines
• Healthcare Digitalisation and Digital Health (eHealth) initiative
• COVID-19 Build Back Better Healthcare Investment Policy Statement

The Working Group aims to leverage the 5% Infrastructure Investment Agenda to increase allocations to Healthcare infrastructure as an investable asset class.

Working Group members will comprise of accomplished Healthcare finance and investment authorities, with regional and global industry expertise, and with experience and track records mobilizing and deploying capital to Africa’s Healthcare industry.

The Working Group will be coordinated by the CBN Secretariat, with updates and outputs routinely being presented to the CBN Council for review, endorsement and implementation.

The Working Group’s Policy Statement and Roadmap, will be the guiding instrument for the CBN Council’s engagement with public sector stakeholders and leaders on the CBN’s work in the Healthcare sector.