The Health Impact Investment Platform (HIIP) featured prominently at the Regional Health Invest Forum in Nouakchott, Mauritania, where ministers of health, development finance institutions and international partners explored how innovative financing can help countries translate national health priorities into investment-ready programmes.
Co-organized by the Government of Mauritania, the Islamic Centre for Development of Trade (ICDT), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and the African Development Bank, the Forum brought together leaders from across Africa and Member States of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to accelerate investment in stronger, more resilient health systems.
Opening the Forum, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized that health should be viewed as an investment rather than a cost, calling for stronger collaboration between governments, development finance institutions and partners to mobilize sustainable financing for primary health care. He highlighted the role of the Health Impact Investment Platform in helping countries translate national health priorities into investment-ready programmes.
During his visit to Mauritania, the Director-General also visited a primary health care centre, underscoring WHO's commitment to strengthening primary health care as the foundation of universal health coverage and a central focus of the Health Impact Investment Platform.
Ministerial roundtable highlights growing momentum
A high-level Ministerial Roundtable on the Health Impact Investment Platform was convened by the Government of Mauritania, WHO and the Islamic Development Bank to strengthen political commitment and promote peer learning among countries at different stages of engagement with the Platform.
Mauritania shared its experience of developing a Health Impact Investment Platform proposal to strengthen primary health care, highlighting the value of WHO technical assistance. The proposal is expected to be considered by the HIIP Steering Committee in October 2026.
Ministers and development partners discussed how countries can develop investment-ready primary health care programmes, exchanged practical experiences, and explored the technical support available through WHO and the Islamic Development Bank to mobilize sustainable financing and accelerate progress towards universal health coverage.
The roundtable brought together ministers of health from The Gambia, Mauritania, Senegal and Somalia, alongside representatives from the World Bank, AUDA-NEPAD, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Islamic Centre for Development of Trade (ICDT) and other development partners.
Innovative financing for resilient health systems
HIIP was also featured during a Forum panel on innovative financing for health, where WHO and the Islamic Development Bank highlighted the growing importance of blended financing in an increasingly constrained fiscal environment. The discussion reinforced the Platform's role in combining WHO's technical expertise with the financing capacity of multilateral development banks to mobilize sustainable investment for primary health care.
Looking ahead
The Regional Health Invest Forum demonstrated growing political momentum for investment-led approaches to health financing. By bringing together governments, development finance institutions and technical partners, the event reinforced the value of the Health Impact Investment Platform in helping countries move from health priorities to investment-ready programmes capable of attracting long-term financing.
As more countries engage with the Platform, HIIP continues to support governments in developing investment plans, strengthening domestic resource mobilization and unlocking sustainable financing to advance universal health coverage.
Related resources
WHO Director-General's opening keynote address at the Regional Health Invest Forum (13 July 2026)