Africa’s Health Leaders Urge Health as Driver of Trade, Growth

African Health Sumit in Zambia

LUSAKA, Zambia – Health must be seen not just as a social service, but as a driver of regional trade, industrialisation, and prosperity, African leaders declared on Monday as health ministers from 47 countries convened in Lusaka, Zambia, for the 75th session of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Regional Committee for Africa.

Opening the three-day summit, which runs until 27 August, President Hakainde Hichilema called on governments to apply lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic in shaping stronger cooperation.

“We must view health as a foundation for productivity, trade, and industrialisation — and anchor our decisions on humanity and collaboration,” he said.

Zambia’s Health Minister, Dr Elijah Muchima, emphasised the need for collective action, warning that Africa’s complex health challenges cannot be solved in isolation. “The complexities of today’s health threats demand that we stand united,” he said.

WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, assured that the organisation would continue to help African nations build “robust national health systems, based on self-reliance, efficiency, and equity.”

Delegates are expected to adopt resolutions on expanding oral health services, strengthening maternal and child health, securing blood supplies, boosting the health workforce, and improving outbreak preparedness.

WHO Africa Regional Director, Dr Mohamed Janabi, highlighted the economic dimension of health, noting: “We must reframe health not as a cost, but as a cornerstone of prosperity.”

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