The World Health Organization (WHO) and the African Union (AU) Commission renewed their strategic partnership today by signing an updated Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva. This new agreement reinforces their joint commitment to improving health security, universal health coverage, and sustainable development across Africa amid growing global financial challenges.
The MoU highlights the African Union’s leadership in promoting collective action, inclusive partnerships, and regional resilience. It also places the AU Commission’s Department of Health, Humanitarian Affairs, and Social Development at the center of health policy efforts on the continent.
The agreement was signed by Ambassador Amma Adomaa Twum-Amoah, AU Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs, and Social Development, representing AU Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, and Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. The partnership marks a crucial step forward for primary health care and universal health coverage in Africa.
Commissioner Twum-Amoah stressed the importance of the renewed agreement and the AU’s role in shaping Africa’s health future. She said, “This Agreement opens a new chapter in AU–WHO cooperation. Closer collaboration allows us to better meet the health needs of our people and ensure no one is left behind. We value WHO’s leadership in global health and look forward to deepening this partnership to achieve our shared goals. We must shift from budgeting for survival to planning for health sovereignty.”
Building on the 2019 MoU, the new agreement strengthens coordination across all AU bodies. It aligns efforts with Africa’s health priorities and reaffirms WHO’s technical leadership and commitment to support the AU in achieving health-related Sustainable Development Goals.
Dr. Tedros noted the critical timing of the agreement amid aid cuts that threaten millions of lives in Africa. He said, “This partnership aims to deliver real results and help countries move away from aid dependency toward sustainable health systems. We stand with the African Union in advancing the continent’s health priorities.”
The MoU outlines five main areas of cooperation:
- Strengthening health systems through regulatory harmonization, support for local pharmaceutical production, traditional medicine, domestic health financing, workforce training, and digital health innovation.
- Improving reproductive, maternal, neonatal, child, and adolescent health (RMNCAH) by supporting campaigns like CARMMA Plus and advancing the Addis Ababa Declaration on Immunization.
- Preventing and controlling diseases by implementing AU frameworks targeting communicable and noncommunicable diseases, including efforts to end AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and neglected tropical diseases, as well as addressing viral hepatitis.
- Enhancing nutrition and food security through the Africa Nutrition Strategy and related WHO initiatives.
- Responding to health emergencies by strengthening joint efforts for humanitarian crises, conflicts, and climate-related disasters.
This renewed MoU reflects the growing influence of the African Union in global health, supported by its G20 membership, and confirms WHO’s role as a trusted technical and operational partner. It brings fresh momentum to regional and international cooperation to tackle Africa’s most urgent health challenges and achieve lasting impact on the continent.
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