Breaking the Deadlock: Transformative Health Financing from Within

IROKO

IROKO [1] offers a transformative solution to persistent challenges in health financing that have stalled progress toward the health-related SDGs in low- and lower-middle-income countries. Inadequate funding, coupled with fragmented, inequitable and inefficient financing arrangements, continues to hinder progress toward Universal Health Coverage, the core health goal of SDGs. With only six years left until the 2030 SDG deadline, IROKO enables a rapid, sustainable shift through strengthening locally relevant health financing capacity from within - and TEKANO Group now seeks partners to help drive this vital change. 

[1] IROKO is a tree common to Western Africa that symbolizes endurance and durability, good health, and protection.

The IROKO approach

IROKO offers a unique and transformative approach to create rapid and lasting impact, cultivating a critical pool of health financing experts and leaders, country by country. Grounded in TEKANO Group’s Transformative Health Financing coursework, the initiative equips individuals working in health financing with critical skills and competencies rooted in global evidence and adapted to local contexts. IROKO also develops leaders through specialized training, deepening technical expertise alongside political acumen necessary to foster strong relationships between health and finance and navigate the complexities of health financing reform.

Embracing a holistic approach, IROKO engages staff in government, academia, and civil society to strengthen reform efforts, public advocacy, and accountability. The initiative prioritizes diversity and inclusion, creating pathways for underrepresented groups, particularly women, to enter and advance in the field of health financing. Through close partnerships with local organizations and institutions, IROKO ensures that activities are relevant, and that continuous change originates from within, promoting sustainability.

Investing in transformative health financing

With only six years remaining to advance Universal Health Coverage and achieve the health-related Sustainable Development Goals, the world is at a critical juncture. IROKO offers funders a unique opportunity to drive transformative change in health financing, developing sustainable, locally relevant capacity from within. While initial funding has already been secured to lay the groundwork for a first pilot in Nigeria, comprehensive funding is essential to implement the full IROKO approach and fully realize its potential to deliver enduring change.

We invite you to join us in shaping a future where health financing expertise thrives locally, creating robust and sustainable foundations that extend well beyond the initial investment. With your support, IROKO can scale its impact, ultimately unlocking better and more equitable health outcomes that protect the most vulnerable and improve quality of life in low- and middle-income countries.