DR. UZODINMA ADIRIEJE LEADS AHOA CALL FOR HEALTH POLICY, GOVERNANCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY THAT WORKS FOR ALL
Abuja, Nigeria
Dr. Uzodinma Akujekwe Adirieje, Chief Executive Officer of the Afrihealth Optonet Association (AHOA), led the 25th AHOA Life and Health Dialogue Session with a strong call for health policies and systems that are evidence-informed, people-centred, inclusive, adequately financed, effectively implemented and transparently accountable. The 25th session of AHOA’s 2026 Life and Health Dialogue Series, held on Tuesday, 30 June 2026, focused on the theme “Making Health Policy, Governance and Accountability Work for All.” It brought together stakeholders from across Africa and the Global South to examine persistent gaps between health-policy formulation, implementation, governance and measurable health outcomes.
DR. ADIRIEJE SETS THE STRATEGIC DIRECTION
As CEO of AHOA and lead convener of the Life and Health Dialogue platform, Dr. Adirieje provided the strategic direction for the session and delivered the opening keynote address. He positioned health governance not simply as an administrative concern but as a fundamental determinant of health equity, social justice, public trust and sustainable development. In his keynote, Dr. Adirieje emphasized that the quality of health outcomes depends not only on the availability of resources but also on the effectiveness of policies, the strength of institutions, the quality of leadership and the robustness of accountability mechanisms.
He stressed that developing policies is not enough. Health policies must be translated into implementation, monitored for results and subjected to meaningful public accountability. “The challenge before us today is therefore not simply to develop more policies, but to ensure that health policies are evidence-informed, people-centred, inclusive, adequately financed, effectively implemented, continuously monitored, and subject to transparent accountability processes.”
FROM POLICY FORMULATION TO IMPLEMENTATION AND RESULTS
Dr. Adirieje used the dialogue to draw attention to the persistent gap between policy intentions and implementation realities. He identified inadequate financing, inequitable resource distribution, workforce shortages, weak institutional coordination, insufficient community engagement and limited accountability mechanisms among challenges that continue to undermine health-system performance. He argued that good health governance requires political leadership that treats health as a public good and national investment; strong institutions capable of implementing policies transparently; meaningful citizen and community participation; and robust monitoring, evaluation, learning and accountability (MEL/MEAL) systems that support continuous improvement.
For Dr. Adirieje, accountability must also go beyond financial reporting and administrative compliance. It must encompass health outcomes, equity, quality of care, human rights and the fulfilment of commitments made to populations.
CHAMPIONING CITIZEN AND COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION
A major theme of Dr. Adirieje’s intervention was the need to move citizens and communities from being passive recipients of health policies to becoming active participants in policy development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. He emphasized that governments cannot achieve equitable and accountable health systems alone. Civil society organizations, professional associations, academic institutions, development partners, private-sector actors, community leaders and citizens all have essential roles to play. This approach places participation and accountability at the centre of health-system reform and reinforces AHOA’s longstanding emphasis on multisectoral engagement and collaborative action.
LINKING HEALTH GOVERNANCE WITH WIDER DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES
Dr. Adirieje also broadened the discussion beyond the conventional boundaries of the health sector. He highlighted the growing interconnections between health, climate change, environmental sustainability, economic resilience, peace, security and social development, arguing that twenty-first-century health governance must be integrated, multisectoral and systems-oriented. He therefore encouraged participants to consider health policy not in isolation but within the wider political, economic, environmental and social systems that determine people’s ability to achieve and maintain good health.
FACILITATING A GLOBAL SOUTH PERSPECTIVE
The dialogue brought together participants from countries including Nigeria, Uganda, Zambia and South Africa, creating an opportunity to compare experiences of health-policy implementation, government accountability, workforce challenges, brain drain, civil-society advocacy and resource allocation. Participants discussed the role of civil society in monitoring health systems, advocating for improved services, building capacity and maintaining sustained engagement with governments at national, regional and subnational levels. The discussion also raised an important challenge for civil society: moving beyond repeated advocacy statements and dialogue towards concrete, measurable and sustained action. Dr. Adirieje’s leadership of the platform provided an opportunity to connect these concerns with practical follow-up mechanisms.
TURNING DIALOGUE INTO ACTION
Consistent with his emphasis on translating dialogue into measurable action, Dr. Adirieje assumed specific follow-up responsibilities from the session. Among these, he committed to issue a statement concerning wetland evacuations in Uganda, route it through AHOA’s in-country representatives and follow up on acknowledgements. The session also agreed on the development of a proposal or plan for tracking health-sector governance issues, beginning at country level and potentially cascading to regional and state levels. These actions reinforce Dr. Adirieje’s approach of using AHOA’s dialogue platforms not merely for discussion but as mechanisms for policy engagement, evidence generation, monitoring and follow-through.
STRENGTHENING ‘AHOA’S POLICY AND ACCOUNTABILITY ROLE
The 25th Life and Health Dialogue further demonstrated AHOA’s role as a platform for connecting civil society, policymakers, professionals, researchers, communities and other stakeholders around critical health and development issues. Under Dr. Adirieje’s leadership as CEO/Programmes Director, the Life and Health Dialogue Series continues to provide space for constructive engagement, knowledge sharing, policy advocacy and collaborative action. The 25th session reinforced his call for a shift from “policy as a document” to policy as an implemented public commitment – one that is adequately resourced, monitored, evaluated and held accountable to the people it is intended to serve.
A CALL FOR HEALTH SYSTEMS THAT WORK FOR EVERYONE
Closing the session, Dr. Adirieje called on stakeholders to engage actively, challenge constructively and collaborate meaningfully to develop practical pathways for making health policy, governance and accountability work for everyone, particularly vulnerable and underserved populations. The central message emerging from his leadership of the dialogue was clear: effective health systems require more than policies and resources. They require capable institutions, accountable leadership, meaningful participation, effective implementation and continuous scrutiny of results. AHOA will continue to use its Life and Health Dialogue Series to bring stakeholders together around these priorities and to promote action that translates ideas into reforms, commitments into implementation and aspirations into measurable improvements in people’s lives.