Introduction and context
The 2025 meeting of the Health Economics Community of Practice (HE-COP) was convened in Rwanda to address the critical and shifting landscape of health financing across Africa and begin discussions regarding the future and sustainability of the HE-COP.
Originally established by the East, Central & Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA-HC) in partnership with the University of York as part of the Thanzi Programme, the HE-COP was designed to strengthen the interaction between academic health economists and policy-makers. While the group began with the nine member states of ECSA-HC, this year’s gathering marked a significant move toward inclusivity, welcoming new members from the East African Community (EAC) – Rwanda, Somalia, and South Sudan – as well as Namibia from Southern Africa. A delegation from the West African Health Organisation (WAHO) was also present, introducing the prospect of establishing a sister organisation in West Africa to facilitate cross-regional learning.
Next steps
Following the meeting, the next steps are to:
- Advance discussions about the sustainability of the HE-COP and come to initial agreements about next steps within the next 6-8 months.
- Prepare for the 2026 Ministers of Health meeting (February 2026) to present findings on donor funding impacts.
Find out more
Read more about the event in our 2025 12 (December) Expanded HE-COP Meeting Report.
The HE-COP forms part of the Thanzi Programme’s activities under our ‘Research & Policy Engagement’ pillar, alongside Research Evidence Generation and Capability Strengthening.
