AFDB, WHO vow joint efforts to boost Africa’s primary healthcare
In a bid to address Africa’s healthcare challenges, the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have announced plans to enhance their collaboration and elevate the transformation of primary healthcare across the continent.
The decision was reached during a meeting held on the sidelines of the Islamic Development Bank’s annual meetings in Riyadh, where AfDB’s President, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, and WHO’s Director General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, underscored the significance of investing in Africa’s primary healthcare infrastructure.
They emphasized that such investments could potentially resolve 85 percent of the healthcare issues faced by the continent.
The urgency to revamp Africa’s healthcare systems stems from the harsh lessons learned during the Covid-19 pandemic. Africa found itself ill-prepared and struggled to access essential medicines and vaccines, while some developed nations stockpiled their surplus supplies.
Responding to the crisis, the AfDB launched a $10 billion Covid-19 Response Facility to support its regional members.
Subsequently, the Bank’s Board of Directors approved a $3 billion investment aimed at enhancing healthcare infrastructure quality and an additional $3 billion to bolster Africa’s pharmaceutical industry, catering to the continent’s essential medicines and vaccine needs.
The initiative led to the establishment of the African Pharmaceutical Technology Foundation, headquartered in Kigali, with Dr. Tedros serving as a member of its Eminent Advisory Council.
Dr. Tedros echoed Dr. Adesina’s sentiments, emphasizing the need to channel more funding into healthcare infrastructure development, particularly at the primary level.
He emphasized that strong surveillance at the primary healthcare level is pivotal in early detection and prevention of diseases, outbreaks, and epidemics.
Both leaders committed to coordinating their teams to amplify ongoing efforts across these five priority areas, with a shared goal of delivering high-quality primary healthcare services throughout Africa.
