African health ministers and health leaders have agreed to step up efforts to eliminate diseases across the continent, as countries seek to protect progress made in recent years amid funding gaps, weak health systems and insecurity. ALSO READ: African health ministers demand urgent action on rising drug-resistant malaria The commitment was made on August 26 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, during a high-level ministerial side event held on the sidelines of the 76th session of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for Africa, which is being held from August 25 to 28. The meeting brought together health ministers and senior officials from the WHO African Region’s 47 Member States to set regional health priorities. Rwanda was represented by Yvan Butera, the Minister of State in the Ministry of Health. The health leaders, development partners and heads of African Union and regional health institutions endorsed the Addis Ababa Call to Action on Protecting and Accelerating Multi-Disease Elimination in Africa. The call urges countries to take greater ownership of disease elimination efforts, increase domestic investment in health and build stronger health systems that can respond to multiple public health challenges. This comes as African countries make progress in tackling diseases that have affected communities across the continent for years. Leprosy has been almost eliminated as a public health problem in the region, with only one country yet to achieve the elimination target. Forty-one African countries have also been certified free of Guinea worm disease, according to WHO. In 2025 alone, Burundi, Mauritania and Senegal eliminated trachoma, Niger became the first African country to eliminate river blindness, while Guinea and Kenya eliminated sleeping sickness. Progress has been recorded in other areas. Botswana achieved gold-tier status on the path to eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV as a public health problem, while Cabo Verde, Mauritius and Seychelles eliminated measles and rubella. “As a region, we have made great strides towards multiple disease elimination goals,” said Dr Mohamed Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “These achievements highlight the impact of sustained political commitment, strong health systems and effective partnerships. What we need now is to sustain this progress, invest more and push further.” The Addis Ababa call urges countries to move beyond disease-specific programmes and adopt integrated approaches that strengthen primary health care and deliver results across several disease programmes. Participants identified funding constraints, limited integration of disease programmes into national health systems, weak diagnostic and data-management capacity and insecurity as threats to the progress already made. They warned that without coordinated action and sustained investment these challenges could reverse hard-won gains. WHO said it would continue working with Member States, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and other partners to provide technical support, facilitate partnerships and monitor progress towards disease-elimination targets. The August 26 commitment is part of broader discussions at the Regional Committee, the WHO African Region’s highest decision-making body, which is considering policies and strategies that will shape the continent’s health agenda. The meeting will also consider measures to improve health financing and workforce development, strengthen early childhood development and medical product regulation, and improve emergency preparedness and polio surveillance. The discussions come as DR Congo responds to an Ebola outbreak and countries consider ways to respond faster to health emergencies. Ministers are also considering a new Regional Health Data Hub to help countries detect health threats earlier, direct resources more effectively and make better-informed health decisions. The meeting is considering “A New Era of Health for Africa: United Action for Vision 2035”, a long-term framework focused on stronger primary health care, resilient health systems, sustainable financing, digital transformation and greater country ownership.
