**1. Introduction**

The whole world is ageing. Ageing population has become the experience of many developed countries and is fast reaching the turn of countries in the developing world [1]. People who were 65 years and above in age represented 5.1 per cent of global population in 1950, 9.0 per cent in 2018, and will be 16.0 per cent in 2050 [1, 2]. By that year 2050, 80 per cent of older people (60+ years) globally will be living in low and middle income countries (LMIC) [3]. It is important to note that while this demographic shift is a sign of societal progress which calls for celebration especially for LMIC, it may also pose serious health, security and development challenges if provision of and access to innovative and reliable healthcare financing mechanisms and strategies are not in view. This is because lack of access to reliable healthcare financing is capable of hindering older people from seeking competent medical attention to address their inevitable healthcare needs and challenges, and this in turn may lead to their suffering, insecurity and/or death [4].

In Africa, lack of access to reliable healthcare financing in old age poses serious development challenges and it is detrimental to healthy ageing, especially because older people are known to be facing various health challenges which require huge financial costs. According to World Health Organisation (2010), reliable healthcare financing mechanism is an important factor for healthy ageing [5]. Considering the financial and health vulnerability of many older people especially in developing countries of the world, provision of and access to reliable healthcare financing for this demographic category becomes vitally important and inevitable for healthy ageing [6]. It has been shown that it is not sufficient to provide reliable healthcare financing for older people, it is more important to provide them access to these services [7, 8]. Ensuring that older people have access to reliable healthcare financing in particular as well as other available and possible social support mechanisms that may encourage the provision of and access to reliable healthcare financing in general is a challenge and very key to healthy ageing. What are the factors influencing older people's access to reliable healthcare financing? To answer this question, this article starts by conceptualising key concepts, explains the need for access to reliable healthcare financing among African elderly, provides statistical overview of access to reliable healthcare, and discusses various factors influencing access to reliable healthcare financing. Strategies for providing and accessing reliable healthcare financing are also discussed before providing summary and conclusion.
