AU Chairperson Calls for Decisive Shift from Health Commitments to Concrete Action

Addis Ababa, July 22, 2026 (ENA) —African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf has called for a decisive shift from political commitments to concrete implementation.

Youssouf also urged African countries to translate continental health pledges into measurable action and build stronger, more self-reliant health systems.

Delivering the keynote address at the Extraordinary Session of the African Union Assembly on Africa’s Health in Accra, Youssouf said Africa’s health sovereignty depends on stronger domestic financing, expanded local production of medicines and vaccines, robust regulatory institutions, increased investment in research and innovation, and sustained political leadership.

 

He urged AU member states to move beyond declarations and ensure that commitments made under the Accra Declaration and national health pledges result in tangible improvements in health outcomes across the continent.

“The legacy of this summit will not be measured by the speeches delivered, but by whether we succeed in changing the trajectory of health outcomes across Africa through concrete action,” Youssouf said.

He said the AU Roadmap to 2030 and beyond provides the continent with an implementation framework for ending AIDS, eliminating preventable maternal and child deaths, combating communicable and non-communicable diseases, strengthening resilient health systems and advancing universal health coverage.

Achieving these objectives, he stressed, requires African countries to increase domestic investment in healthcare, expand pharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturing capacity.

 

He also stressed the need for  reinforce regulatory systems, promote research and innovation, and maintain sustained political commitment at the highest level.

The call comes as African countries confront changing global health financing realities and growing pressure to reduce dependence on external support.

At the Extraordinary Summit, Ethiopia’s Deputy Prime Minister Temesgen Tiruneh urged African countries to seize what he described as a historic opportunity to build self-reliant, resilient and sustainable health systems increasingly financed through the continent’s own resources.

“We are at a historic moment to build Africa’s health systems relying on our own financial capacity,” Temesgen said while attending the Extraordinary Summit of African Union Heads of State and Government on Health in Accra.

The summit, held from July 21–22, brings together African Heads of State and Government, health ministers, policymakers, development partners and other stakeholders to chart a new course for the continent’s health sector.

Addressing the summit, Temesgen shared Ethiopia’s experiences and reaffirmed the country’s commitment to supporting continental efforts to strengthen health systems and improve public health outcomes.

 

African leaders and stakeholders are deliberating on strategies to address communicable and non-communicable diseases, expand local pharmaceutical manufacturing, strengthen health institutions and develop sustainable financing mechanisms capable of supporting resilient health systems.

The Extraordinary Session, hosted by Ghana and chaired by Burundi in its capacity as Chair of the African Union, forms part of the AU’s broader effort to accelerate implementation of continental health priorities under the AU Roadmap to 2030 and Beyond.

The gathering comes at a critical moment for Africa, as governments seek to transform health systems from heavy dependence on external assistance toward greater domestic ownership, sustainable financing and long-term resilience.