WHO and African Union Forge New Strategic Partnership to Drive Health Sovereignty and Resilience Amid Global Financial Pressures

GENEVA — In a decisive move to fortify the continent’s health infrastructure against escalating global financial headwinds, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the African Union (AU) Commission formally renewed their longstanding strategic partnership today. The signing of an updated Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) took place on the sidelines of the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, marking a pivotal juncture for public health policy, regional cooperation, and sustainable development across Africa.

The newly minted agreement reaffirms a shared, unwavering commitment to advancing health security, accelerating universal health coverage (UHC), and achieving the health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Coming at a time of unprecedented fiscal tightening and sharp cuts to bilateral aid across the international landscape, the accord underscores the indispensable leadership of the African Union in fostering collective action, driving inclusive partnerships, and building enduring regional resilience.

Central to the implementation of this renewed framework is the African Union Commission’s Department of Health, Humanitarian Affairs, and Social Development. The department is poised to act as the primary operational engine for translating high-level policy commitments into tangible, ground-level health outcomes for the continent’s 1.4 billion citizens.

High-Level Signatories and Strategic Vision

The formal agreement was executed by Her Excellency Ambassador Amma Adomaa Twum-Amoah, Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs, and Social Development, acting on behalf of His Excellency Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Chairperson of the African Union Commission. They were joined by Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization. Together, the leaders framed the updated MoU as a defining moment for primary health care delivery and the systemic realization of universal health coverage.

Addressing delegates and media representatives in Geneva, Commissioner Twum-Amoah articulated the profound strategic necessity of the agreement, emphasizing the AU’s proactive role in steering Africa’s health destiny.

"This Agreement marks a new chapter in AU-WHO cooperation. By working together more closely, we can better respond to the health needs of our populations and ensure that no one is left behind," Commissioner Twum-Amoah stated. "The African Union values WHO’s central and leading role in global health and looks forward to deepening this strategic partnership in support of our shared goals. We need to move from budgeting for survival to planning for health sovereignty."

This philosophy of "health sovereignty" captures a fundamental paradigm shift currently underway within African multilateral institutions. Rather than relying indefinitely on volatile external assistance and donor-driven health agendas, the AU is aggressively championing domestic resource mobilization, regional pharmaceutical manufacturing, and localized health security frameworks.

Chronology of Cooperation: Building on the 2019 Foundation

The newly signed MoU does not emerge in a vacuum; rather, it represents the evolution of a structured, multi-year partnership between the two organizations. To fully understand the weight of the Geneva agreement, it is necessary to examine the chronological progression of AU-WHO collaboration over the past decade:

• May 2019: The WHO and the African Union Commission signed a landmark preceding MoU, designed to streamline joint efforts in combating infectious disease outbreaks, strengthening weak health systems, and addressing the rising burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) across the African continent.
• 2020–2022 (The COVID-19 Pandemic): The resilience of both organizations was severely tested by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Despite severe global vaccine inequities, the partnership facilitated critical coordination mechanisms, including the Africa Task Force for Coronavirus (AFTCOR) and the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT), laying bare the urgent need for domestic vaccine manufacturing and localized supply chains.
• February 2022: The AU Heads of State and Government endorsed the strengthening of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) as an autonomous public health agency of the African Union, further elevating the continent’s institutional capacity to manage health emergencies.
• November 2023: Strategic dialogues commenced in Addis Ababa and Geneva to review the efficacy of the 2019 MoU, identify operational bottlenecks, and draft an updated framework that reflects post-pandemic realities and shifting geopolitical landscapes.
• May 2025: On the sidelines of the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Ambassador Twum-Amoah and Dr. Tedros formally executed the updated MoU, expanding the scope of collaboration to address modern financial, climatic, and epidemiological vulnerabilities.

Confronting the Aid Crisis and Championing Self-Reliance

The timing of the renewed accord is exceptionally critical. In recent years, traditional donor nations have faced their own domestic economic pressures, resulting in significant reductions in bilateral health assistance, overseas development aid (ODA), and specialized funding streams for global health initiatives. For Africa, where external funding has historically subsidized vital programs addressing HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and maternal mortality, these cuts threaten to reverse decades of hard-fought public health gains.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus did not mince words when addressing the financial vulnerabilities currently imperiling the continent during the signing ceremony.

"This renewed agreement comes at a critical time, as cuts to bilateral aid imperil the health of millions in Africa," Dr. Tedros warned. "It reflects our determination to translate our partnership into tangible results for the people of Africa, and support countries to leave behind the era of aid dependency and transition to sustainable self-reliance. We are proud to stand with the African Union in driving forward the health priorities of the continent."

By embedding WHO’s gold-standard technical guidance, normative frameworks, and operational expertise directly into the African Union’s developmental architecture, the partnership aims to maximize the efficiency of every available dollar. Furthermore, it reinforces WHO’s unwavering commitment to supporting AU institutions as they spearhead the journey toward sustainable domestic financing models.

Elevating Africa’s Voice in Global Health Governance

A significant driver behind this enhanced collaboration is the rapidly shifting architecture of global diplomacy and governance. The African Union’s historic inclusion as a permanent member of the G20 has dramatically amplified the continent’s geopolitical leverage, ensuring that African leaders sit directly at the table where global economic, financial, and health policies are forged.

This elevated status demands a parallel strengthening of technical and institutional alignment between regional bodies like the AU and global specialized agencies like the WHO. The renewed MoU bridges the gap between high-level diplomatic advocacy and grassroots public health execution. It ensures that when African leaders advocate for systemic reforms in international financial institutions—such as debt relief for health investments or fairer intellectual property rules for medical countermeasures—their positions are backed by rigorous, WHO-vetted epidemiological data and technical validation.

Moreover, the agreement reaffirms WHO’s foundational role as a trusted technical and operational partner, capable of deploying rapid response teams, coordinating multi-country clinical trials, and establishing normative guidelines that protect populations from emerging zoonotic spillovers, climate-sensitive diseases, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Analytical Implications: What the MoU Means for the Future

From a macroeconomic and public health policy perspective, the updated Memorandum of Understanding carries several profound implications for the African continent over the next decade:

1. Acceleration of Domestic Resource Mobilization: By explicitly moving away from "survival budgeting" toward "health sovereignty," African nations will face increased internal pressure to fulfill and expand upon the Abuja Declaration commitments—wherein governments pledged to allocate at least 15% of their annual budgets to the improvement of the health sector.
2. Bolstering Regional Health Security Architecture: The synergy between the WHO, the AU Commission, and the Africa CDC creates a unified front against epidemic and pandemic threats. This alignment minimizes institutional duplication, ensures rapid information sharing, and optimizes the deployment of medical countermeasures during health emergencies.
3. Local Pharmaceutical Manufacturing: A cornerstone of achieving true health sovereignty is reducing Africa’s staggering reliance on imported pharmaceuticals and vaccines, given that the continent historically imports roughly 99% of its vaccines and 70–80% of its general medicines. The strategic framework supports regulatory harmonization through the African Medicines Agency (AMA), paving the way for a robust, localized manufacturing ecosystem.
4. Primary Health Care (PHC) as the Bedrock: By realigning focus toward primary health care, the partnership acknowledges that resilient health systems must be built from the community level up. Robust PHC acts as the first line of defense against both everyday morbidities and catastrophic pandemic shocks.

As the 78th World Health Assembly continues its deliberations in Geneva, the signing of this updated MoU stands as a beacon of multilateral cooperation rooted in mutual respect, shared responsibility, and a resolute vision for a healthier, self-reliant Africa.

Official Contacts and Media Inquiries

For further information, institutional inquiries, or interview requests regarding the renewed Memorandum of Understanding, please contact the designated representatives of both organizations:

• Professor Julio Rakotonirina
  Director, Department of Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development
  African Union Commission
  Email: [email protected] / Mr. King David Cartey

• Ms. Stéphanie Seydoux
  Director, DG Envoy for Multilateral Affairs
  World Health Organization (WHO)
  Email: [email protected] / WHO Media Team