Abuja (Nigeria): African Heads of State and Government at the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) have raised concerns over escalating threats to global health security.
The virtual event on Thursday, themed “Uniting for Global Health Security”, brought together the Global Leaders Network for Women, Children and Adolescents’ Health.
The event was chaired by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Duma Boko, President of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) of Botswana.
Helen Clark, Chair of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health and former Prime Minister of New Zealand, moderated discussions.
The African leaders warned that shrinking health budgets, rising biological resistance, humanitarian crises, and the impact of climate change were undermining decades of progress, particularly in the fight against malaria.
They noted that between 2021 and 2025, official development assistance (ODA) for health in Africa declined by about 70 per cent, threatening life-saving programmes.
According to Ramaphosa, essential programmes to eliminate malaria have been compromised. This leaves millions without care and erodes decades of progress.
Similarly, Boko described the situation as a “perfect storm of challenges,” calling for urgent investments in the upcoming 8th replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, which aimed to raise $ 18 billion in November.
Leaders also called for innovative approaches to financing, including the creation of a Public-Private Partnership Health Accelerator to mobilise resources from the private sector, philanthropic foundations, and the diaspora.
Kenyan President William Ruto highlighted African ownership, stating that the “future of Africa’s health financing lies in our own hands”.
He added that, encouragingly, change was already underway across the continent.
Other leaders urged the World Bank to establish a second Malaria Booster Programme. Meanwhile, Dr Sania Nishtar, CEO of GAVI, emphasised the importance of African self-reliance in vaccine manufacturing and highlighted progress with malaria vaccine rollouts in 23 African countries.
Africa CDC Director General, Dr Jean Kaseya, reinforced the need to transform health financing, urging leaders to start to manufacture their own vaccines, medicines, and build strong surveillance systems.
The meeting ended with a renewed commitment to stronger partnerships, sustained financing, and African-led solutions to ensure that women, children, and adolescents are protected from preventable diseases.
