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Dear ,
External financing for health saw sudden and rapid shifts in 2025, from the departure of USAID, to the subsequent decrease in aid allocation by key donors such as the Global Fund, and the return of the US government through bilateral memoranda of understanding. These have sent shockwave across LMICs.
As we look forward, it is critical to understand the scale of the changes in 2025 and 2026, their impact, and how countries have responded. This webinar will share global level evidence on the extent and impact of the 2025/26 aid shock in LMICs, and share the responses provided by Uganda and Nigeria.
Looking forward to sharing this session with you,
The webinar team
The webinar will be held in English
avec traduction instantanée en français
Agenda:
• Introduction — Cicely Thomas (GFF)
• Framing presentation — Overview of aid shocks across LMICs — Susan Sparkes (WHO)
• Panel discussion — Joshua Musasizi (Ministry of Health, Uganda) and Muntaqa Umar-Sadiq (SWAp, Nigeria)
Facilitation: Cicely Thomas
• Wrap up — Christabel Abewe (WHO)
Speakers
Cicely Thomas is a senior health economist with a large experience in supporting countries across Africa and Asia to strengthen health financing and reach UHC. She leads the health financing portfolio at the GFF. Cicely holds an MSc focused on health financing and currently teaches a health financing course at The George Washington University Milken School of Public Health.
Susan Sparkes is health economist on the health financing team at WHO in Geneva. Her work focuses on the implications of fiscal policy, political economy, and health systems reform for universal health coverage, with experience across a range of organizations, including the World Bank, Global Fund, and USAID.
Joshua Musasizi is the Assistant Commissioner for Health Sector Partners and Multisectoral Coordination at the Uganda Ministry of Health. He previously served as a Senior Technical Advisor within the same ministry and worked as a Technical Officer supporting national health operations. He also has experience in the private sector as a systems support specialist. He holds a Master’s degree in Management and a Bachelor of Science degree.
Muntaqa Umar-Sadiq is the National Coordinator of Nigeria’s Health Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp). He previously led the Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria (PHN) as CEO and served as Senior Technical Advisor to the Minister of State for Health. He began his career in healthcare investment banking at Morgan Stanley. He holds a Doctorate in Public Health, a Master’s in Bioscience Enterprise, and a Medical degree (MBBS), and is a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA).
Christabel Abewe is a health economist, with over 15 years of experience in cost-effectiveness analysis, financing models, and the allocation of resources for health programs. Her experience spans both systemwide and disease-specific or program-specific health financing aspects in various African countries. Christabel holds a PhD in Health Economics, master's in Public Health (health economics concentration) and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics.
This webinar is the 17th of our series
