Safe sanitation is fundamental to human health and dignity. In every community, a toilet protects people from disease, safeguards our environment, and underpins social and economic development. Yet today, 3.4 billion people still live without a safe toilet. And every day, around 1,000 children under five die from diseases linked to unsafe sanitation, water and…
Brazzaville — To mark Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Day on 19 November, World Health Organization (WHO) in the African region launched the AFRO Geodatabase (AFRO GDB) to enhance the use of trusted administrative boundary data to strengthen geospatial governance and empower data-driven health decisions across Africa. The platform enables countries to store, manage and share…
Addis Ababa — First Pledge From Africa Announced Representatives from African Union Member States met last week in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to engage on the Global Fund’s Eighth Replenishment, just days ahead of the pledging summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, on the margins of the G20 Leaders’ Summit. The meeting – convened by the Global…
Children in many countries are growing up surrounded by violence. It may happen at home, in their neighbourhoods, or both. Some children are directly harmed, while others witness violence between caregivers or in their communities. Either way, the impact can be profound. Evidence shows that the relationship between violence exposure and poor mental health can…
Hailed by Brazil as “a crucial moment to demonstrate the strength of the health sector in global climate action,” a blueprint for global health systems to adapt to rising temperatures and extreme weather has been launched at the COP30 UN climate conference. As climate negotiations continue in the Amazonian city of Belém, Brazil, governments, UN…
The saying “Nothing Without Us is for Us” is a powerful reminder that lasting solutions can only emerge when those most affected are included in shaping them. This call for inclusion resonates deeply as Africa prepares to participate in key global policy spaces such as the 11th Conference of the Parties (COP11) to the WHO…
Nairobi — As donor funding for Africa’s flagship health programmes declines, African leaders are pushing for greater self-reliance anchored in domestic resource mobilisation, even as they stress that targeted external support remains critical. At the Africa Health Systems Forum hosted by Strathmore Business School’s PRISM Centre with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,…
Addis Ababa — Health Minister Dr. Mekdes Daba has called for government-led priorities, workforce motivation, and integrated, innovative solutions to transform surgical care across Africa. Addressing the Pan African Surgical Healthcare Forum (PASHeF) that opened in Addis Ababa today, the Minister stressed that surgery is central to universal health coverage in Africa. Surgical care must…
The African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU) will hold a high-level meeting on Wednesday, 5 November 2025, to renew their strategic partnership on health. Guided by the principles of equity, security, and resilience, the meeting will lay the foundation for deeper cooperation ahead of the Group of 20 (G20) Health Ministers Meeting and…
Geneva — The African Union (AU) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the Global Fund) today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to deepen collaboration in support of African countries’ efforts to end AIDS, TB and malaria, strengthen health systems, increase domestic resource mobilization and advance health security and sustainable development…
