At a high-level side event during the 2026 African Union Summit, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Claver Gatete, called on African leaders to anchor health financing within broader fiscal and economic reforms, describing health as central to the continent’s sovereignty.
Speaking under the theme “From Commitment to Action: Accelerating Health Financing, Partnerships and Delivery at Scale,” Gatete said the global system is shifting from hyper-globalisation to “strategic resilience,” where countries prioritise critical sectors such as food, energy and health.
He noted that development assistance for health has dropped sharply from about US$80 billion in 2021 to US$39 billion in 2025, exposing Africa’s dependence on external funding and imported medical supplies. Although the continent spends an estimated US$145 billion annually on health, less than half comes from public budgets, leaving households to shoulder high out-of-pocket costs.
Gatete outlined four priorities: integrating health into medium-term fiscal frameworks, boosting domestic resource mobilisation, expanding pharmaceutical manufacturing through the African Continental Free Trade Area, and strengthening health systems. He stressed that achieving health sovereignty is key to securing Africa’s economic future. (ECA)
