African Health Ministers Commit to Stronger Emergency Preparedness Systems

Against the backdrop of increasing health crises that test the resilience of fragile health systems across Africa, health ministers attending the Seventy-fifth Session of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for Africa pledged to strengthen national capacities to anticipate, respond to, and recover from public health threats.

The meeting, hosted in Lusaka, highlighted how fragile systems are often the first to falter during crises, with severe repercussions on lives, livelihoods, and socio-economic stability. Ministers stressed that future preparedness must focus on building resilient, inclusive, and equitably distributed health systems.

Building a Stronger Health Workforce

A central priority for ministers was the development of a robust health workforce. Recognizing that health workers are the backbone of preparedness, countries committed to:

• Recruiting more health professionals across disciplines.

• Ensuring fair deployment between urban and rural areas, addressing chronic disparities.

• Continuous training programmes to prepare health workers for both routine care and emergencies.

• Strengthening ties with educational institutions to align curricula with national strategies and evolving health security challenges.

This renewed emphasis on workforce development is expected to not only fill critical gaps in service delivery but also ensure that emergency response capabilities are embedded within everyday health systems.

Responding to Ongoing Emergencies

So far in 2025, WHO and partners have tackled more than 21 public health emergencies across Africa. These included outbreaks of mpox, cholera, measles, and dengue, alongside health crises triggered by conflict and displacement. Each emergency required the rapid deployment of experts, supplies, and funding, often across multiple countries at once.

Dr. Mohamed Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa, stressed the urgency of building stronger systems:

“We can no longer afford to be caught unprepared. Our region has made significant progress in recent years, but every emergency that disrupts health systems and upends people’s well-being is a lesson. We must build resilient systems that can both cope with emergencies and deliver routine services effectively.”

Embedding Resilience into Health Systems

The conference underscored the need to integrate resilience into the very core of service delivery. Ministers committed to:

• Strengthening infrastructure to withstand future shocks.

• Enhancing leadership and coordination mechanisms.

• Ensuring health services remain functional during crises, especially in fragile and conflict-affected settings.

Past experiences — from the Ebola epidemic to COVID-19 — will be used to guide system-wide improvements in both preparedness and response capacities.

Community Involvement and Localized Readiness

Another major outcome of the meeting was the emphasis on community participation. Ministers agreed to:

• Involve local communities in preparedness planning.

• Co-develop early warning systems with frontline actors.

• Provide grassroots organizations with the tools and training needed to respond rapidly.

Localized readiness, they agreed, is critical to building trust, accelerating response times, and ensuring no community is left behind.

Sustainable Financing for Preparedness

Ministers also acknowledged that commitments must be matched with resources. They agreed to:

• Mobilize domestic funding to reduce reliance on external emergency appeals.

• Prioritize investment at the frontlines, ensuring resources are directed to communities most at risk.

• Focus not only on immediate emergency needs but also on long-term capacity building.

This commitment reflects a shift toward self-reliance and sustainability, ensuring that African nations can better manage crises without waiting for delayed international support.

A Path Forward

The resolutions from Lusaka highlight a continental consensus that Africa’s health systems must evolve from fragile, reactive structures into robust, resilient systems capable of handling the dual burden of emergencies and routine care.

The WHO Regional Office for Africa, together with partner organizations, will provide technical guidance, capacity building, and coordination support, but the ministers emphasized that the true success of this roadmap depends on national ownership, local empowerment, and sustainable financing.