African Health Ministers Commence WHO Regional Meeting In Lusaka
African health ministers have opened the 75th session of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for Africa in Lusaka, Zambia, with a strong call for unity, resilience, and investment in health systems across the continent.
The three-day forum, which brings together ministers from 47 countries, is Africa’s highest decision-making body on health.
Leaders are expected to endorse key resolutions on maternal and child health, oral health, malaria, blood safety, rehabilitation services, and health workforce gaps, while also addressing persistent threats such as pandemics and public health emergencies.
Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema urged ministers to apply lessons from COVID-19 by strengthening health diplomacy, harmonising regulations, and treating health as a driver of trade and industrialisation. “Collaboration and a commitment to humanity must guide decisions that enhance well-being across the region,” he said.
Health Minister Dr Elijah Muchima stressed that no country can face today’s complex threats alone, while WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus pledged continued support for stronger national systems built on self-reliance.
WHO Africa Regional Director Dr Mohamed Janabi added: “We must reframe health not as a cost, but as a cornerstone of prosperity.”
With Africa still recording high maternal mortality, critical workforce shortages, and frequent disease outbreaks, the decisions taken in Lusaka are expected to set the continent’s health agenda and strengthen its capacity to respond to future crises.