In August, African leaders gathered in Accra, Ghana, to chart a path for the continent’s future in public health. Their message was unequivocal: Africa’s political independence is incomplete without the power to shape its own development – including the health of its people. 

The Africa Health Sovereignty Summit was a demand to break free from the dependency that has stunted the continent’s ability to safeguard the health of its own people.

History shows why these matters. At the height of the AIDS crisis, lifesaving drugs reached Africa only years after they were standard in the West, costing countless lives to a treatable virus. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, wealthy nations stockpiled vaccines in excess – even for low-risk groups – while African countries scrambled to secure doses for their most vulnerable. 

It was a stark reminder that the self-interest of the rich can override the basic needs of the poor.

International funding has played a pivotal role in advancing Africa’s health. From the Global Fund to the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), to GAVI, external support has not only saved lives but also improved livelihoods, extended life expectancy, and strengthened economies. 

Inequities in global health architecture

That solidarity deserves recognition, but it must be retooled to truly serve Africa. Today, many inequities remain embedded in the current global health architecture. Investment frameworks are typically drawn up in Geneva or Washington, rather than in Accra or Nairobi. Funding rises and falls with the politics of donor nations.

That imbalance also shapes perception. Our continent of 1.4 billion people – dynamic, youthful, and skilful – is still too often seen as a recipient of charity. 

Even when African scientists lead, as South African researchers did by sequencing the COVID-19 variant called Omicron, they are treated as recipients rather than equal partners. That not only limits Africa’s potential but also leaves the whole world more vulnerable to the next pandemic.

The way forward is clear: Africa must invest in its own health with the same urgency it devotes to infrastructure, defence, or governance. Healthy citizens are the foundation of innovation, stability, and prosperity. Each dollar invested in health paves the path to wealth, multiplying productivity and resilience.

New kind of solidarity

Some governments are charting the path forward. Last month in Nigeria, we convened a high-level national policy dialogue on reimagining the future of health financing. The initiative brought together government officials, development partners, civil society, academia, and the private sector to design sustainable approaches to financing healthcare for all in Nigeria.

This builds on Nigeria’s leadership in advancing universal health coverage (UHC). In the Abuja 2001 Declaration and the Abuja+12 Declaration, member states pledged to increase domestic financing for health to build stronger and more self-reliant health systems.  

At the 78th World Health Assembly this year, countries adopted a Nigeria-sponsored initiative aimed at strengthening global health financing and accelerating progress toward long-standing commitments to achieve UHC.

The message from Accra and Abuja is not isolation or a call for donor retreat, but for a new kind of solidarity. 

Donors can continue to play a critical role by investing with us to address pressing health needs, while building robust, resilient, and sustainable health infrastructure that supports countries in managing transitions away from perpetual dependence. The aim is not disengagement but transformation – from recipients of aid to equal partners.

Continental blueprint

The Accra gathering offered a continental blueprint for the future of health engagement with international partners. Nigeria’s September dialogue aimed to anchor it in national reality. Together, the two initiatives reflect a new mood: Africans insisting on authorship of their own health future. 

The rest of the world should welcome this. A sovereign Africa, healthier and stronger, is in the interest of humanity. 

Pandemics know no borders; health insecurity in one corner of the continent is insecurity everywhere in the world. Supporting Africa’s health sovereignty is not just about “helping countries,” it is also enlightened self-interest.

The Accra Summit and Nigeria’s dialogue point the way forward for Africa’s public health. To get there, we must act with urgency to strengthen South–South cooperation and collaboration, forging a continental alliance that harnesses shared expertise, resources, and innovation for collective health security. 

Unified vision

This pivotal moment calls for bold African leadership – one that articulates a unified vision and drives coordinated action on regional health priorities. At the core of this transformation is the creation of a dynamic health ecosystem that integrates the public and private sectors across the entire value chain – from research and development to manufacturing, distribution, and healthcare delivery. 

True health sovereignty will remain elusive until Africa establishes a vibrant intra-continental health market capable of producing, regulating, and procuring its own medical products and technologies. 

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) must serve as the backbone of this vision, enabling the seamless movement of health goods, services, and expertise across borders, unlocking economies of scale, and spurring investment in local industries. 

By taking these decisive steps, Africa can redefine its role in global health – emerging as a producer, innovator, and equal partner in shaping both the health of its people and the well-being of the world.

Dr Muhammad Ali Pate has been Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare since 2023. He was also the country’s Minister of State for Health between 2011 and 2013, prior to which he was the executive director of Nigeria’s National Primary Health Care Development Agency. He has also been a professor of public health leadership at Harvard University, and held various positions at the World Bank Group.

Image Credits: WHO, Nigeria Federal Ministry of Health and Welfare, Rwanda Ministry of Health.