African Leaders Demand Health Independence to End Reliance on Imported Medicine
Addis Ababa, 25 August 2026
Meeting in Addis Ababa, African leaders demanded health self-reliance, launching a strategy to counter the continent’s critical 70% to 80% reliance on imported medicines and vaccines.
A Continental Call to Action in Addis Ababa
On Tuesday, 25 August 2026, the seventy-sixth session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa commenced in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, serving as a platform for a historic demand for African health sovereignty [1]. African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, alongside Ethiopian President Taye Atske-Selassie and WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, addressed health ministers and senior officials from 47 Member States [1]. Youssouf emphasised that the continent’s health security is central to the ‘Africa We Want’, asserting that partnership, whilst valuable, cannot substitute for true national and regional ownership [1]. The leaders called for an urgent transition from dependency to self-reliance, urging African nations to finance their own health priorities increasingly using domestic resources [1].
The Stark Realities of Regional Healthcare
The push for autonomy is driven by deep systemic vulnerabilities across the continent. Currently, African nations rely on imports for an estimated 70% to 80% of their essential medicines and vaccines [2]. This dependency is compounded by severe operational challenges: the average outbreak response time across the region stands at over 14 days, more than double the 7-day benchmark set by the International Health Regulations (IHR) [2]. Furthermore, only 30% of Member States currently meet the minimum IHR core-capacity scores, and the regional Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Service Coverage Index remains below 44 [2]. This fragile infrastructure also bears a heavy human toll, with Africa accounting for 70% of global maternal deaths [2].
Vision 2035: Roadmap to Self-Reliance
To address these gaps, the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa (WHO AFRO) has launched ‘Vision 2035’, a comprehensive strategy targeting 47 Member States and approximately 1.4 billion people [2]. Developed through consultations with over 500 stakeholders, the strategy outlines a phased transition away from fragmented, disease-specific programmes towards robust primary healthcare, digital innovation, and domestic manufacturing [2]. The initial phase, running from 2026 to 2027, focuses on establishing governance, coordinating local manufacturing, and strengthening emergency preparedness [2]. By 2035, the initiative aims to ensure that at least 45% of priority health products are manufactured locally, supported by at least 15 Member States strengthening their regulatory systems [2].
Financing and Digital Transformation
Achieving these targets requires substantial financial mobilisation, with WHO estimating that US$1.625 billion is needed to fund seven flagship programmes between 2026 and 2030 [2]. The strategy aims to reduce out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure by 20% to 30%, whilst increasing financial protection coverage from a baseline of at least 23.7% to 40% or more [2]. Additionally, Vision 2035 targets a digital overhaul, aiming for at least 60% of Member States to develop interoperable digital-health systems and at least 28 countries to connect to a Regional Health Data Hub by 2035 [2]. With over 60% of Africa’s population currently under the age of 25, securing this health infrastructure is deemed critical for unlocking the continent’s demographic dividend and ensuring long-term economic productivity [2].