Health Budget Accountability at IBP Peer Learning Exchange in Nairobi - jctr.org.zm

What the report says

JCTR.org.zm reported that the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection took part in an International Budget Partnership peer-learning exchange on health expenditure monitoring in Nairobi, Kenya, from 21 to 23 July 2026. The meeting brought together civil society organisations from 17 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East and the Balkans to compare approaches for tracking health spending and strengthening budget accountability.

According to the report, JCTR was represented by Lombe Michael Kasanda, while Edah Gondwe Chimya attended from the Zambia Alliance of Women. The exchange was linked to IBP programmes focused on open and accountable budgets, and was framed around a shared concern: approved health budgets do not always result in better services, especially as external health financing falls and governments face tighter fiscal conditions.

Participants worked on methods that shift attention from budget allocations alone to how funds are executed. The sessions included root-cause analysis, use of IBP’s Open Budget Survey Health Budget Credibility Module, and planning for multi-stakeholder advocacy involving governments, civil society and communities. JCTR.org.zm said each country delegation identified a national health budget execution problem and began developing an advocacy strategy to address it.

For Zambia, the article noted that the 2026 health budget rose by 13% to ZMW 26.2 billion, but said financing and implementation gaps remain, including a health funding shortfall above ZMW 21 billion, nearly 40,000 health worker vacancies, and no dedicated adolescent health budget line. JCTR said the Nairobi learning would support its work on public financial management, social accountability and equitable use of health resources.