This background paper on RBF in Africa was part of the basis for discussion during the the Africa Health Forum 2013: Finance and Capacity for Results. The paper shares some of the operational results starting to come in from Health Results Innovation Trust Fund (HRITF) pilots.

Key messages:

• Over the past five years, Results-Based Financing (RBF) for health has been extensively tested in Africa as a promising approach to work towards Universal Health Coverage.
• RBF approaches are achieving good results; increasing coverage as well as quality of services while targeting resources to vulnerable populations.
• A well-designed RBF program can strengthen core health system functions, increasing value for money and accountability of the health system.
• In many countries the design of RBF programs has included removing user fees, thus improving financial access for essential health services.