Africa Adopts 10-Year Plan to Protect Polio Surveillance Systems After Eradication
Oluwatobi Adu 
ABUJA, Nigeria – African health ministers have endorsed a 10-year regional framework aimed at preserving the continent’s polio surveillance, laboratory and emergency response systems beyond the eradication of the disease.
The Framework for Polio Transition and Sustainability in the WHO African Region 2026–2035 was adopted on Thursday during the 76th Session of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for Africa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Although Africa was certified free of indigenous wild poliovirus in 2020, the continent continues to record outbreaks of circulating variant polioviruses, with more than 180 detections reported across the WHO African Region in 2026.
According to WHO, the Lake Chad Basin and the Horn of Africa remain the regions with the highest levels of transmission.
These assets have also played critical roles in responding to outbreaks of Ebola, Marburg virus disease, mpox, cholera and yellow fever, while supporting routine immunisation and strengthening emergency preparedness across the continent.
WHO Regional Office for Africa’s Polio Eradication Programme Coordinator, Dr. Mohamed Gedi, said sustaining Africa’s polio gains would require stronger country ownership, increased domestic funding and the integration of polio assets into broader health systems.
“Sustaining Africa’s polio gains requires strong country ownership, sustainable financing and the integration of polio assets into broader health systems,” he said.
Under the framework, member states are expected to strengthen national transition plans, incorporate essential polio functions into wider health programmes and increase domestic financing while monitoring progress through a regional accountability mechanism.
Chair of Rotary International’s International PolioPlus Committee and the GPEI Polio Oversight Board, Mike McGovern, reaffirmed Rotary’s commitment to supporting governments and global health partners until polio is completely eradicated.
“We are closer than ever to ending polio, but reaching that goal will require us to stay the course,” he said.
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Abah Felicity 
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