The AU Summit, themed “Advancing Africa’s Health Security and Sovereignty Agenda: Ensuring Sustainability through Commitment and Leadership,” is being held at the Africa CDC, which focuses on strengthening continental cooperation to ensure sustainable financing, strong leadership, and self-reliance of African health systems.
Opening the meeting, Dr. Makdes Daba, Minister of Health of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia and Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Africa CDC, described the event as a “show of leadership commitment.” She said the meeting reflects our shared commitment to improving health security and sovereignty among African countries.
Dr. Mekdes said the event demonstrates our shared commitment to strengthened continental cooperation and building sustainable systems, emphasizing the need for dedicated financing, accountable leadership, and scaling up drug self-production to reduce dependence on external supply chains and ensure equitable access to essential medicines and vaccines.
She added that Africa must continue to invest in domestic resource mobilization and institutional capacity building to protect itself from future health emergencies.
Dr. Jean Kaseye, Director-General of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, highlighted the need for coordinated continental action to strengthen disease surveillance, emergency preparedness, and rapid response systems.
He said sustainable financing mechanisms are crucial to building a strong and resilient public health architecture in Africa. Dr. Kaseya stressed that health security is inseparable from economic security and called on member states to make a strong political commitment to public health investment.
Dr. Nardos Bekele-Thomas, Executive Director of the African Union Development Agency-NEPAD, emphasized the role of strategic partnerships and development finance in achieving Africa’s health sovereignty agenda. He said aligning health priorities with continental development frameworks would accelerate progress towards sustainable systems.