Africa pushes for self-sufficient health systems with new 10-year plan

CONGO— African leaders and global partners have agreed on a bold 10-year vision to transform how essential health products are financed, produced, and delivered across the continent.

This initiative aims to ensure that everyone in the African region can access affordable, quality-assured medicines and health technologies.

The agreement emerged from the Blue-Sky Visioning and Think Tank Workshop held in Johannesburg from November 25 to 27, 2025.

During the workshop, policymakers, technical experts, and development partners collaborated to develop the foundations of a regional strategy on market shaping and supply chain for essential health products, covering the period from 2025 to 2035.

This long-term strategy introduces 14 strategic pillars designed to overhaul Africa’s fragmented health product systems and establish resilient, efficient supply chains capable of withstanding global disruptions.

Currently, only 35% of essential medicines are available in public health facilities across Africa.

In some countries, out-of-pocket expenses can reach up to 90% of total health spending, exposing millions of people to catastrophic healthcare costs.

In Malawi, for instance, external aid accounts for 65% of all health expenditures, making the health system highly vulnerable to sudden reductions in funding.

Additionally, donor investments tend to focus on a few specific diseases: one-third of all health aid targets HIV/STI control, 14% supports malaria programs, and less than 1% funds noncommunicable diseases.

According to a recent WHO assessment, 56% of African countries are currently facing shortages of essential products, including vaccines, tuberculosis medicines, treatments for neglected tropical diseases, and supplies for noncommunicable diseases.

Some health facilities have even had to temporarily close due to stock-outs.

The new regional strategy seeks to improve production and access by encouraging local manufacturing, pooled procurement, and coordinated supply chains that resist shocks.

The 10-year plan prioritizes regional procurement platforms and strategic warehousing to reduce dependence on emergency imports, which proved unreliable during the COVID-19 pandemic when 38 African countries urgently requested medical supplies.

This strategy also supports the African Medicines Agency (AMA) mandate and leverages the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to lower or eliminate tariffs on locally made health products.

By promoting domestic resource mobilization and innovative financing tools such as debt-for-health swaps and health impact investment platforms, the strategy moves Africa toward sustainable, homegrown healthcare solutions and away from donor-driven dependency.

Dr. Adelheid Werimo Onyango, Director for Health Systems and Services at the WHO Regional Office for Africa, emphasized that the meeting focused on reimagining the possibilities when African countries lead the development of resilient and self-reliant health systems.

He highlighted their commitment to building a future where no community faces shortages, inefficiencies, or unaffordable prices.

The workshop participants used a creative “blue-sky thinking” approach to address persistent challenges.

Discussions included strengthening governance, improving financing methods, driving digital transformation, promoting local production, modernizing waste management, and enhancing emergency preparedness.

These efforts lay the foundation for a future-proof supply chain ecosystem.

This initiative aligns with several regional and global frameworks, including the African Union’s Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plan, the AMA mandate, the WHO Access to Medicines Roadmap, and the Sustainable Development Goal 3.8 on universal access to essential medicines and vaccines.

Bianca Baluta, a health policy expert from the European Union, reiterated the EU’s commitment to promoting equitable access to essential health products across Africa.

By supporting this regional strategy, the EU invests in stronger supply chains, resilient health systems, and sustainable solutions that protect health for all.

Once finalized, the strategy will act as a unified blueprint to strengthen market systems, broaden access to affordable, high-quality health products, and reinforce Africa’s health security over the coming decade.