Africa Health Research and Innovation Funders Forum
Where Africa's health funders align and act
AHRIFF is the premier convening platform for global and African funders working in health research and innovation — built to close the gap between financial capital and scientific capacity on the continent.
Our mission
To multiply the impact of health funding by connecting, aligning, and coordinating the organisations that finance research, innovation, and implementation across Africa.
AHRIFF was established to address a fundamental problem: billions of dollars flow into African health each year, yet duplication, siloed decision-making, and misaligned priorities undermine collective impact. The Forum creates a structured space where funders can identify overlap, explore co-investment, and build the collaborative relationships that science on the continent requires.
Hosted annually since 2021 by the South African Medical Research Council, AHRIFF has grown from a regional convening into a globally representative forum with over 67 agencies from six continents participating in its 2025 edition.
SAMRC
Gates Foundation
Africa CDC
Science for Africa Foundation
Grand Challenges
AfricaCDC
AHRIFF is led and coordinated by the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), with an organising committee of leading funders including the Gates Foundation, Africa CDC, Science for Africa Foundation, and Grand Challenges partners.
The Forum brings together local and global philanthropic agencies, government funders, development finance institutions, ODA agencies, African venture capital and angel investors, and African financial and empowerment institutions.
A mixture of plenary talks, panel discussions, 1:1 interviews, presentations, pre-recorded videos, and call-to-action sessions on priority challenges — designed to produce actionable outcomes, not passive listening.
What we focus on
Four recurring themes shape AHRIFF discussions and call-to-action sessions across each annual meeting.
Reducing the silos of excellence that rarely connect horizontally into local environments — especially in drug manufacturing, pandemic response, and AI for health.
Bridging the valley of death with blended finance, concessional instruments, and market-shaping mechanisms adapted to Africa’s investment realities.
Breaking dependency cycles by creating funder-agnostic forums where entrepreneurs from different programmes build local ecosystems, intra-nationally and pan-African.
Pooled procurement, demand guarantees, and faith-based medical schemes as viable pathways to sustainable health product markets across the continent.
Prof Ntobeko Ntusi, President & CEO, South African Medical Research Council — AHRIFF 2025 Opening Address
Our history
From a focused convening of African health funders, AHRIFF has evolved into a globally relevant platform for funder coordination and health system investment.
Fifth annual meeting — Cape Town, November 2025
- Delegates rated event worthwhile
- Will attend again
- Made new partnership connections
- Preferred Cape Town as venue
More about AHRIFF
Explore the organisations and people who make the Forum possible.
Browse the full list of funding agencies that participate in AHRIFF — from African venture capital and philanthropic foundations to development finance institutions and government bodies.
Meet the team responsible for convening each AHRIFF meeting — drawn from the South African Medical Research Council and partner organisations across the funder community.
Express interest in AHRIFF membership or register for the 2026 Forum.
