African Health leaders forge unified position on Global Health Reform ahead of WHA79 in Geneva
Date: 2026-05-17
By: Nana Appiah Acquaye
African health and finance
leaders have convened in Geneva to align a unified continental position on
reforms to the global health architecture ahead of the 79th World Health
Assembly (WHA79).
The high-level meeting of
the African High-Level Ministerial Committee (AHLMC) on Reform of the Global
Health Architecture brought together ministers and senior officials to
consolidate Africa’s priorities and strengthen its collective voice in global
health negotiations.
Speaking on the margins of
the meeting, Director General of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and
Prevention (Africa CDC), Jean Kaseya, said the discussions marked a significant
step toward positioning Africa as an active co-architect in shaping global
health systems rather than a passive recipient of external frameworks.
He noted that the committee
had achieved consensus across key workstreams, resulting in a consolidated
position paper that will guide Africa’s engagement at WHA79.
According to him, the
unified approach reflects stronger political alignment among African states and
a shared commitment to building a more equitable and responsive global health
ecosystem.
The meeting also provided an
opportunity for African leaders to engage on ongoing public health challenges,
including the Ebola outbreak, with updates on containment measures and
preparedness efforts across affected and at-risk Member States.
During the engagement, Ghana’s
President John Dramani Mahama was briefed on the outbreak situation and ongoing
regional response coordination efforts aimed at strengthening health security
across the continent.
Health officials indicated
that Africa will enter WHA79 with a coordinated stance aimed at advancing
reforms that strengthen preparedness, equity, and sustainability in global
health governance.
