Equinet Africa

EQUINET, the Regional Network on Equity in Health in East and Southern Africa, is a network of professionals, civil society members, policy makers, state officials and others within the region who have come together as an equity catalyst, to promote and realise shared values of equity and social justice in health.

EQUINET gathers people to overcome isolation, give voice and promote networking using bottom-up approaches built on shared values. We have come together in a spirit of self determination and collective self reliance working through existing government, civil society, research and other mechanisms and institutions in East and Southern Africa.

EQUINET is building a forum for dialogue, learning, sharing of information and experience and critical analysis. We do this to build knowledge and perspectives, shape effective strategies, strengthen our voice nationally, regionally and globally and to buiild strategic alliances to influence policy, politics and practice towards health equity and social justice.

EQUINET's work covers a wide range of areas identified as priorities for health equity, within the political economy of health, health services and inputs to health, covered in the theme areas shown on this site. EQUINET is governed by a steering committee with representatives from institutions in the region, has leads co-ordinating major areas of work and a secretariat at the Training and Research Support Centre Zimbabwe.

The EQUINET Conference and steering committee identified key areas of work on health equity within our three strategic areas - Reclaiming the resources; Reclaiming the state; Reclaiming collective agency and solidarity.  Building on past work and alliances, EQUIMNET has renewed network leadership and is implementing research, sharing practice, facilitating dialogue, and engaging in different platforms  on therse areas.  Go to Meetings to see information on our webinars on climate justice and register for our next webinar on climate justice and extractives on February 28th. Read about our online regional training on health impact assessment February to May 2024. Visit Publications to read new briefs on urban health innovations related to food, waste, circular economy and climate justice and new publications on taxing for health.   Read and subscribe to the Newsletter for a quick catchup on a range of publications, resources and opportunities related to health equity in the region 

Register for EQUINET Online skills courses on Health Impact Assessment - next course call opening soon!
EQUINET through TARSC, with SATUCC, TalkAB[M]R, Nossal Institute of Global Health, C Dora in association with the ECSA Health Community has convened online training in 2024 and 2025 that include mentored case study work to build health impact assessment (HIA) capacities in different actors in ESA countries. We will be holding the next regional online training in July-October 2026 and the call for applicants will be available in April 2026, and closing in end May 2026. See further information on the course in the reports of the 2024 and 2025 courses on this website and the brief on institutionalising HIA in the region, all found by entering  'health impact assessment' in the search box on the EQUINET publications page. Email us if youd like further information. 

EQUINET Webinars and dialogue on Health Equity as a lever for Climate justice 
Climate-related challenges affect every experience and dimension of health equity in the region. EQUINET invites you to explore this with us in a series of cross-cutting webinars in the coming months. The videos of the sessions are available on the EQUINET site as well as a brief of key points arising from each session in the online EQUINET bibliography.  There are two rapid reviews on climate and health systems and on climate financing and health on the EQUINET website and a brief synthesisng all the information from across our dialogues in 2023-2025, that identifies health equity as a key lever for climate justice. In 2026 we are now engaging across regions and networks to understand where we have shared priorities and responses to build wider alliances in advancing health equity for climate justice.

See the video from the EQUINET and United Nations University co-hosted webinar in February 2026 on shared learning and responses between East and Southern Africa and South East Asia 
This webinar involved brief presentations from EQUINET and its network members in ESA and from UNU and three country speakers from SE Asia on the issues and actions on health and climate. Panellists and participants shared priorities between the two regions and where they may also have alliances on shared responses. To watch the session visit https://youtu.be/eMf946-rGfU  

See the videos for the previous webinars on various aspects of climate justice and health equity in east and Southern Africa  

The seventh in EQUINET's series on health equity and climate justice in east and southern Africa held in March 2025 and hosted by TARSC focused on climate related migration and health equity. To watch the session visit https://youtu.be/agsJJhYwr6k  and read the brief on the EQUINET website at https://equinetafrica.org/sites/default/files/uploads/documents/EQ%20Bri...  

The sixth in EQUINET's series on health equity and climate justice in east and southern Africa hosted by SEATINI focused on climate justice and health equity in agro-ecology and pandemics in the region. It was held in November, 2024. The webinar interrogated the relationships between climate, land rights and agroecology and the link to pandemicsat and health at local, national and global levels and suggested actions to be taken to mitigate the impacts. To watch the session please visit https://youtu.be/KcMreW9rGak and read the brief on the EQUINET website publications page.

The fifth in EQUINET's series on health equity and climate justice in east and southern Africa on  Wednesday, 28th February 2024 was hosted by SATUCC and focused on climate justice and health equity in the extractive sector.  We heard inputs from expertise in the region working on environmental and climate law, on extractives and a just transition; and on experiences and actions from a trade union lens. The session will explore the evidence of impacts on health and climate of the extractive sector, and proposed legal, policy, advocacy and other actions at local, national and regional level and in global engagement. To watch the session please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vvGnvDWBI8 and read the brief on the website publications page

The fourth webinar session was on Climate Justice and trade systems hosted by SEATINI  in EQUINET. The webinar focused on how climate intersects with trade systems that impact on health.  We heard from speakers with experience on these issues at community/local level, at national level and at global level.  If you missed it please visit the link here to watch the session - great presentations and discussion!.  You will also find a brief on the deliberations on the EQUINET publications page.

The first webinar on how climate justice intersects with protection of the right to health,  hosted by the Center for Health, Human Rights and Development (CEHURD) was successfully held in July with three interesting speakkers from local/national,  regionaland global level and participant views and comments. If you missed it  you can watch the session at this link.

The second webinar session on Climate Justice and Urban food and waste management systems was held on  Tuesday 29th August  hosted by Innovations for Development in EQUINET. The webinar focused on how climate intersects with urban food systens and waste management systems, and their link to water, energy and green spaces.  Speakers presented experience on these issues at community/local level, at national level and at global level.  The full webinar can be viewed at this link 

The third webinar session on Climate Justice and primary health care systems was held on  Wednesday 25th October  hosted by REACH Trust Malawi and IWG  in EQUINET. The webinar focused on how climate intersects with equity oriented primary health care systems.  Speakers presented experience on these issues at community/local level, at national level and at global level.  The full webinar can be viewed at this link

Expanding promising practice on urban health and wellbeing
EQUINET is supporting a community of practice on promising practice for sustained urban and periurban wellbeing in east and southern Africa to share and review evidence on practice features that could be scaled up across countries.  Visit the analytic framework that the community of practice is working with,  see the reports of the regional meetings.  On this website you can read new reports published in 2024 and 2025 on holistic case studies on urban health. In late 2024 we held a regional meeting of the community of practice and produced ten recommendations that are captured in a brief on BUILDING, ENABLING and AMPLIFYING practices in the region that promote urban health. Please contact us if you are interested in this area of work and have interesting experience, tools and practice to share.

EQUINET Regional meeting May 23 and 24, 2024 Nairobi on Strategies for tackling commercial determinants of health and for urban wellbeing in ESA- read the meeting report on the website
This EQUINET regional meeting, convened by TARSC, gathered people from institutions involved in work in ESA on urban health and health impact assessment HIA. It was held on May 23rd and 24th 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya. It used a mix of presentation, discussion and participatory processes to share and review experience and evidence from both urban health work and HIA in ESA on the laws, policies, systems, features, measures and tools that positively impact on health and that make linkages across economic, social, health and ecosystem wellbeing, including to respond to climate change; identify the implications for policy and practice at national, regional and global level and recommendations for policy, technical and wider audiences in and beyond the region on improving health (equity) and climate adaptation in urbanisation and in economic/ commercial activity in ESA. See the meeting report under EQUINET publications on this site and email admin [at] equinetafrica.org for further information.

Call for case studies

Scaling up promising practice to promote healthy urban people and ecosystems in east and southern Africa   

EQUINET is seeking case study examples of promising practice from east and southern Africa in selected areas within our ten recommendations for BUILDING, ENABLING AND AMPLIFYING integrated urban health. For those interested in this and in joinibng the urban health community of practice please contact us at the email contacts shown on the website.



Latest Equinet Publications

'Issues of equity are also issues of rights': Lessons from experiences in Southern Africa
London, L (2007 January)
Themes:
Values, policies and rights
Country
South Africa
The dispossession of African wealth at the cost of African health
Bond, P (2007)
Themes:
Health equity in economic and trade policies
Country
South Africa
Building equitable, people-centred national health systems: The role of parliament and parliamentary committees on health in east and southern Africa
Musuka, G; Chingombe, I (2007 January)
Themes:
Governance and participation in health
Country
Zimbabwe
Country health equity analysis: Malawi
Banda, HTR; Bongololo, GT; Ng'ombe, J; Makwiza, I; REACH Trust Malawi; Malawi Health Equity Network (2007 January)
Themes:
Equity in health
Country
Zimbabwe
Discussion paper 40: A review of district health systems in east and southern Africa: Facilitators and barriers to participation in health
Lopez, LL; Magweva, FI; Mpofu, E; Duquesne University, Counselling for Health International (CHI) Trust; Pennsylvania State University (2007 January)
Themes:
Equitable health services, Governance and participation in health
Country
East and southern Africa region
Capacity Building Paper: Implications of the GATS and TRIPS agreements for the Right to Health in Malawi
Mabika, AH; London, L; SEATINI; School of Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Cape Town (2007 January)
Themes:
Values, policies and rights, Health equity in economic and trade policies
Country
Malawi
Capacity Building Paper: Zambia: The right to health and international trade agreements
Mabika, AH; London, L (2007 January)
Themes:
Values, policies and rights, Health equity in economic and trade policies
Country
Zambia
Discussion paper 43: Zimbabwe National Health Sector Budget Analysis and Equity Issues
Shamu, S; Loewenson, R; Zimbabwe Economic Policy Analysis and Research Unit (ZEPARU); TARSC (2006 October)
Themes:
Resource allocation and health financing
Country
Zimbabwe
Discussion Paper 34: Distribution of public sector health workers in Zimbabwe: A challenge for equity in health
Mudyarabikwa, O; Mbengwa, A; Department of Community Medicine, University of Zimbabwe; Zimbabwe Association of Church-related Hospitals (2006 April)
Themes:
Human resources for health
Country
Zimbabwe
Policy Brief 16: Claiming our space: Using the flexibilities in the TRIPS agreement to protect access to medicines
EQUINET; SEATINI (2006 November)
Themes:
Health equity in economic and trade policies
Country
Southern Africa Regional

Pages