As African leaders prepare for the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), a health expert has warned that the continent must strengthen health sovereignty through local partnerships and financing, as external funding for healthcare faces steep declines.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), health aid to Africa could fall by as much as 40 per cent in 2025 compared to two years ago, leaving millions vulnerable if countries do not expand domestic funding and resilient systems.
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In a statement shared with PREMIUM TIMES on Friday, the Executive Vice President of Diagnostics, Africa, at Roche Diagnostics, Allan Pamba, said the shocks of the past few years, including pandemics, political instability and donor funding cuts — have revealed the fragility of African health systems.
Mr Pamba stressed that sovereignty must be built through partnerships co-created by governments, civil society, industry and communities.
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“Health systems succeed when they are anchored in local leadership and designed to reflect African realities,” he said.
Existing partnerships
Examples from across the continent show what this approach looks like in practice. In Zambia, when disruptions in global funding threatened HIV and HPV testing, the Ministry of Health convened a national task force and worked with partners including Roche Diagnostics, Pact and the Churches Health Association of Zambia.
The collaboration ensured lifesaving services continued, aligning with a UN report warning that adolescents were already losing access to HIV prevention programmes due to funding shortfalls.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, a partnership between Roche Diagnostics and the Ministry of Health enabled direct procurement of HIV tests for the first time, bolstering domestic ownership and system resilience.
Similar steps are being taken elsewhere: Côte d’Ivoire has pledged up to $85 million annually from 2026 to sustain HIV services as donor funding shrinks.
The statement said such initiatives demonstrate how domestic financing, through direct procurement, targeted taxes and regional pooled mechanisms, can reduce dependence on unpredictable aid.
It said smarter procurement and prioritisation of preventive diagnostics also stretch limited resources for maximum impact.
The statement emphasised that data and evidence are seen as central to achieving sovereignty.
It added that reliable diagnostics and strong data pipelines help governments measure progress, target investments, and adapt responses.
Without this, researchers warned, service gaps will widen: a recent study found that funding cuts have already driven declines in HIV testing and treatment uptake in several countries, including a 25 per cent drop in ART initiation in Mozambique.
Mr Pamba said UNGA provides an opportunity for African leaders to press for financing models that go beyond emergency stopgaps, reinforcing accountability and long-term sustainability.
“Africa’s health sovereignty will not be delivered through a single UN resolution,” he said. “It will be built step by step — through partnerships, domestic financing and courageous leadership.”
The statement added that health experts agree that choices made today will determine whether Africa’s health systems remain vulnerable to external shocks or grow into resilient, independent pillars of development.
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