/signing-of-mou-between-who-and-african-union.tmb-1200v.jpg?sfvrsn=b1c9f94d_1 "AU-WHO Partnership: Strengthening Africa's Health Systems")
AU-WHO Partnership: Strengthening Africa’s Health Systems
- GENEVA – The African Union (AU) Commission and the World Health Institution (WHO) have reinforced their commitment to health security in Africa by renewing their strategic partnership.
- The agreement highlights the AU's crucial role in promoting regional resilience and collaborative efforts.It positions the AU Commission's Department of Health, Humanitarian Affairs, and social Development as central...
- Ambassador Adomaa Twum-Amoah, Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian affairs and Social Development, signed the agreement on behalf of Mahmoud ali Youssouf, Chairperson of the African Union Commission.Dr.
The African Union (AU) and World Health Organization (WHO) reinforce their commitment to health security in africa. This renewed partnership, signed at the 78th world Health Assembly, prioritizes universal health coverage and sustainable progress. The agreement addresses financial challenges and outlines five crucial collaboration areas, including health systems strengthening and disease prevention. Ambassador Adomaa Twum-Amoah emphasized a shift towards health sovereignty, highlighting the AU’s pivotal role. News Directory 3 keeps you updated on essential healthcare collaborations. Discover what’s next for Africa’s health landscape with this strengthened partnership.
AU and WHO Renew Partnership to Boost Africa’s Health Security
Updated May 26, 2025
GENEVA – The African Union (AU) Commission and the World Health Institution (WHO) have reinforced their commitment to health security in Africa by renewing their strategic partnership. The updated Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed at the 78th World Health assembly, emphasizing universal health coverage and sustainable progress amid global financial constraints.
The agreement highlights the AU’s crucial role in promoting regional resilience and collaborative efforts.It positions the AU Commission’s Department of Health, Humanitarian Affairs, and social Development as central to implementing health policies across the continent.
Ambassador Adomaa Twum-Amoah, Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian affairs and Social Development, signed the agreement on behalf of Mahmoud ali Youssouf, Chairperson of the African Union Commission.Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, also signed the agreement.
“this Agreement marks a new chapter in AU–WHO cooperation,” Twum-Amoah saeid. “By working together more closely, we can better respond to the health needs of our populations and ensure that no one is left behind.”
Twum-Amoah added that the AU values WHO’s leadership in global health and seeks to deepen the partnership to achieve shared goals. She emphasized the need to shift from “budgeting for survival to planning for health sovereignty.”
Building upon the 2019 MoU, the renewed agreement aims to streamline collaboration across all AU entities, aligning efforts with Africa’s health priorities. It reaffirms WHO’s technical leadership and commitment to supporting the AU in achieving Sustainable Development Goals related to health.
Dr. Tedros noted the agreement’s importance given cuts to bilateral aid. “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,” he said.
Key Areas of Collaboration
The MoU outlines five key areas:
- Health systems strengthening: Including regulatory harmonization, local pharmaceutical manufacturing, traditional medicine, domestic health financing, workforce development, and digital health innovation.
- Reproductive, maternal, neonatal, child, and adolescent health (RMNCAH): supporting the Campaign on Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMMA Plus 2021–2030) and advancing the Addis Ababa Declaration on Immunization (ADi).
- Disease prevention and control: Implementing AU frameworks on communicable and noncommunicable diseases, including efforts to end AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, eliminate neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), and address viral hepatitis.
- Nutrition and food security: Strengthening the nutrition agenda through the Africa Nutrition Strategy 2015–2025.
- Health in emergency settings: Strengthening joint responses to humanitarian crises, conflicts, and climate-related emergencies.
What’s next
The renewed agreement signifies a push for regional and multilateral cooperation to tackle Africa’s pressing health challenges, aiming for lasting improvements across the continent.