The last decade has shown a lot more promise for Africa’s health as exemplified by a huge rise in global interest. More financial resources have been made available and the world is committed to pursuing a consensus to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Virtually all African countries have health sector plans; many use the more comprehensive sector-wide approaches. To support the implementation of these, there is a plethora of global initiatives such as GAVI, The Global Fund, UNAIDS, IHP+, AHA, to name a just few. Yet progress is painfully slow.

Over the past several months the Ministry of Health and Population has been preparing and writing its second five-year Health Sector Programme-Implementation Plan (NHSP-IP 2) 2010-2015.  Preparations for the plan preceded a thorough review of the previous plan. In so doing, the current plan represents a continuation and further refinement of the previous plan to build on past successes, which included the implementation of cost-effective, evidence-based health interventions. The upcoming plan envisions added efforts in the areas of safe motherhood, child health, nutrition, population and family planning.  And, due to a rise in non-communicable diseases and injuries, focuses on communication interventions to change behaviour.