Pretoria — The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa today launched the first-ever Africa Prototype Competency-Based Curricula for ten selected health professions, marking a major turning point in how the region trains, equips and prepares its health workforce for the future. The launch, held in Pretoria with satellite events across multiple countries, will…
World Toilet Day reminds us that 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. Each year, 1.4 million people die due to inadequate access to…
“I was scared and terrified because I was still very young when I received the news. What else was going to save me if the medicines that are supposed to treat me are failing?” wonders Brandon Jaka, a 26-year-old pharmacist in Harare, in reminiscence. Harare — Born with HIV, Jaka has lived his entire life…
Less than one percent of adaptation finance targets health, even as climate-sensitive diseases multiply. Africa alone will need roughly $300 billion annually by 2030 to build resilient systems and respond to climate-related loss and damage. BELÉM, Brazil, Nov 20 2025 (IPS) – Around the world, the climate crisis is fast becoming the biggest public-health threat…
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…
