Online Reporter
Robin Muchetu, Health and Gender Editor
IN what can be described as a milestone, African countries have proposed the need to prioritise domestic funding for their health needs and move away from donor-driven models, which are unpredictable and conditional.
With adequate domestic resource mobilisation, local investments could be more sustainable and reliable.
These reforms have been proposed ahead of the upcoming Africa Regional Dialogue on Global Health Reform to be held in Kigali, Rwanda in November this year.
In a statement, Amref Health Africa said momentum is building across the continent for a bold, Africa-led reform of the global health system.
“The call follows a series of regional consultations convened by Amref Health Africa with support from the Wellcome Trust, where Ministers of Health and leaders from West, East, Central, Southern, and North Africa delivered a unified message,” reads the statement.
“The current Global Health Architecture (GHA) must be decolonised by shifting power, ownership, and decision-making to African institutions and communities.”
Experts say the dialogue series signals a critical turning point for the continent towards prioritising self-determination, equity, and sovereignty as anchors for a future global health system that truly serves Africa’s needs.
“When rethinking the Global Health Architecture, we should not think about it with borders in place. Our strength lies in regional collaboration, in pooling our capacities, sharing resources and building a resilient health ecosystem that transcends boundaries,” highlighted Namibian Minister of Health and Social Services, Dr Esperance Luvidao.
African ministers have identified key pillars for Africa-led reforms participants focusing on three critical priorities for reimagining the Global Health Architecture. These include a shift from fragmentation to coherence.
“Leaders unanimously called for a radical move away from the fragmented, top-down, donor-driven model.
The consensus demands replacing ‘disarray’ with an Africa-co-ordinated architecture that channels financing through robust national systems,” they noted.
“The dialogues highlighted the urgent need to redefine health funding from aid to long-term patient capital. With global aid projected to decline, African leaders must prioritise domestic resource mobilisation and nurture local innovation ecosystems to unlock African-led solutions.”
This comes as Africa has suffered a huge blow through the stop work order by the US Government, which significantly cut funding to health sector programmes particularly HIV and Tuberculosis programmes leaving many recipients of care in a state of panic.
African health ministries have also pledged to improve local supply security through local manufacturing of critical drugs and other materials.
“A decisive pathway explored was accelerating local manufacturing for vaccines and all essential health products.
“This move transforms supply chains into engines of self-reliance, supported by proposals like launching Regional Regulatory and Trade ‘Sandboxes’ to pilot harmonised regulations,” reads the statement.
Moving forward, African ministers have said the insights gathered from virtual consultations will directly inform discussions at the Africa Regional Dialogue in Kigali, where policymakers, researchers, civil society leaders, and private sector representatives will co-create Africa’s blueprint for reform.
Outcomes from Kigali are expected to feed into the global synthesis convening in 2026, ensuring that Africa’s priorities—grounded in justice, sovereignty, and shared prosperity — shape the future of global health.
Mounting pressure from reduced financing, widening inequities, and the urgent call for fairness expressed in the Lusaka Agenda have highlighted the need for a fundamental rethink of how health is governed, financed, and delivered worldwide.
“Without reform, millions risk being left behind, and the system may fail to respond effectively to future global health threats,” said the regional ministers.
The region-wide initiative is set to test, challenge, and refine the ideas outlined in the paper and other calls for reform, which will help ensure that Africa’s priorities are clearly defined, widely owned, and powerfully represented in global health reform debates.—@NyembeziMu
Peter Tanyanyiwa