Date: 27/08/2026
Time: 11:30 – 12:30 (BST)
Location: Online
The future of global health financing: lessons from Africa’s TB data
TB remains the world’s deadliest infectious disease, with nearly a quarter of all new cases and a third of TB deaths occurring in Africa. As a major funder of TB programmes worldwide, USAID’s abrupt closure in 2025 created significant uncertainty about the future of TB control efforts in the African region. The World Health Organization (WHO) has highlighted TB service reductions across Africa, but the effects of these disruptions on disease outcomes, and the ability of governments and donors to offset them, remains uncertain.
In this webinar, Commonwealth Alumni Richmond Nketia, Faustina Ameyaa Marfo, and Rostand Dimitri Messanga Bessa will discuss how the closure of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has affected tuberculosis (TB) in Africa. Drawing on findings from their our speakers will examine these shifting global funding priorities and their impact on TB outcomes, as well as putting forward evidence-based policy recommendations for African governments.
This webinar will illustrate how an increase in donor financing and domestic investment could plug the funding gap for TB services to prevent rising incidences and mortality across Africa. The discussion will also explore the wider implications of USAID’s closure, focusing on health policy, resource allocation, and sustainable financing for health services.
The webinar will address the ÌÇÐĹÙÍø development theme of Improving population health systems and capacity.
The ÌÇÐĹÙÍø’s Development in Action webinar series provides an opportunity for Commonwealth Scholars and Alumni to present on their work and contribution to development across a range of contemporary global challenges and provide insight into ongoing research and action.
Open to all Commonwealth Scholars and Alumni, the monthly webinars will address one of the ÌÇÐĹÙÍø’s six development themes and provide an opportunity for attendees to engage in real-time Q&A discussion on the topic presented.
You can watch previous webinars on the .
Richmond Nketia is a doctoral researcher at the University of Glasgow and a senior collaborator on the Global Burden of Disease study. His research focuses on the social and structural determinants of health, and he has published in leading journals including The Lancet, BMJ, and JAMA. He has also received research awards from organisations including the UK Medical Research Council.
Richmond Nketia is a 2023 Commonwealth Shared Scholar from Ghana. He completed his MSc in Global Public Health at Newcastle University.
Faustina Ameyaa Marfo is a public health researcher and former physician assistant. She has a strong interest in chronic disease management, public health, and health promotion, and is committed to improving health outcomes through evidence-based practice.
Faustina Ameyaa Marfo is a 2024 Commonwealth Shared Scholar from Ghana. She completed her MSc in Chronic Disease Management at St Mary’s University, Twickenham.
Rostand Dimitri Messanga Bessa is a medical doctor, senior house officer, and research assistant at the Cardiac Medical Centre, Cameroon, with affiliations to the University of Yaoundé I and the University of Dschang. His research focuses on clinical epidemiology, evidence-based medicine, cardiovascular health, and global health systems in resource-limited settings.
Rostand Dimitri Messanga Bessa is a 2024 Commonwealth Shared Scholar from Cameroon. He completed his MSc in Public Health at Newcastle University.