This was a key focus of discussions at the Africa Health International Conference Agenda (AHAIC 2025), currently taking place in Rwanda.
The conference has brought together over 1,400 participants from 56 countries worldwide.
Among the attendees are 51 delegates from the United States, 40 from South Africa, 20 from India, 29 from the United Kingdom, 309 from Kenya, 160 from Rwanda, 74 from Ethiopia, 42 from Nigeria, and 50 from Uganda, among others.
Rwanda's Minister of Health, Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana, emphasized the urgent need for African countries to build resilient healthcare systems by prioritizing investments in the sector.
'We are in a critical phase where financing for global health in general is being affected, sometimes abruptly. We're seeing programs for maternal and child health, malaria, disease prevention and control, very critical programs being stopped overnight by traditional supporters and funders,' he noted.
'And this looks like it's going to continue. And we must be ready, as of yesterday, that if this happens, what are the options we have? [...] The reality is that these are abrupt decisions. There will be effects, mainly to the poor communities across. But we also have the means, and we have the courage and the commitment to prevent these damages and the impact to happen to our communities and our programs,' Dr. Nsanzimana added.
Dr. Nsanzimana stressed that these challenges should serve as a wake-up call for African nations to explore self-sustaining solutions rather than relying solely on external aid.
He highlighted the need to rebuild Africa's healthcare system with a focus on self-reliance and innovative solutions to existing challenges.
The Minister also pointed out that African countries should make strategic choices to cushion the effects of reduced foreign aid while minimizing negative consequences.
Additionally, Dr. Nsanzimana called for greater focus to take bold decisions to address the rising burden of diseases across the continent amid financing decline.
'Even if the disease burden is increasing, we must deal with it from the best. And even if we think that our traditional sources of financing are getting away, we can raise new financing mechanisms, starting from within and also from other partners who are willing and seeing this as an important investment for humanity,' he said.
He also emphasized the role of technology in healthcare, urging African nations to leverage digital innovations to improve healthcare delivery.
Dr. Githinji Gitahi, CEO of AMREF Health Africa, the organization behind the conference, encouraged Africans to view the decline in foreign aid not as a crisis but as an opportunity to develop long-term solutions.
'Today, therefore, we will say we must not have a mourning tone at this conference, because the health system in Africa has not died. We can't mourn it. It's been wounded because of a small bump that we expected ahead of the road, but we know where we are taking our communities,' he stated.
'And I think that the most important thing for us to reflect on in this conference is not the survival of our institutions, is not the survival of ourselves, it is what shall we do with the communities for whom global solidarity exists,' added Dr. Githinji.
Meanwhile, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who addressed the conference virtually, reaffirmed the organization's commitment to supporting African countries in strengthening their healthcare systems.
He urged African nations to work together to boost both domestic and international investment in healthcare to ensure long-term resilience and sustainability.
IGIHE
