The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), in partnership with the African Union Commission, has officially launched a critical three-day regional policy validation workshop in Nairobi. Running from July 8 to 10, 2026, the high-level convention aims to accelerate continental action on maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health across Eastern and Southern Africa.
The forum brings together delegates from 23 African Union Member States, technical experts, and international development partners. Attendees are tasked with evaluating a comprehensive, continent-wide assessment of Sexual, Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health (SRMNCAH) policies, financing structures, and governance systems. This collaborative effort directly advances Africa CDC’s Health Security and Sovereignty Agenda, aligning with the African Union Champion for Maternal and Child Health initiative spearheaded by H.E. Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan, President of the United Republic of Tanzania.
Prioritizing Accountability and Implementation
Delivering the opening remarks on behalf of Africa CDC Director General H.E. Dr. Jean Kaseya, Dr. Lul Pout Riek, Special Representative for the Eastern Africa Regional Coordinating Centre, emphasized that safeguarding women and children must remain at the forefront of African governance.
“Africa’s health security is measured in the lives of women, newborns, children and adolescents. Every preventable death reflects a gap in governance, financing, equity, access and accountability,” stated Dr. Lul.“Let this workshop be remembered as the moment where we chose implementation over intention, partnership over fragmentation, and action over aspiration. History will remember the lives we saved.”
Representing the AU Champion, Hon. Ummy Mwalimu, Head of Secretariat and Advisor to the Tanzanian President, reaffirmed the continent’s high-level political commitment to achieving three measurable targets: zero maternal deaths, zero preventable newborn deaths, and zero unvaccinated children. Mwalimu noted that while effective medical and structural strategies are already well-known, the primary hurdle remains executing them at scale through sustainable domestic financing.
Shifting from Dependency to Ownership
The technical framework of the summit highlights a rapidly shifting health financing landscape. African nations are currently navigating reduced foreign aid, mounting debt burdens, climate shocks, and an over-reliance on imported medical supplies. To counter these vulnerabilities, Africa CDC has outlined a transition toward total self-reliance.
“The change we need is moving from dependency to ownership, from vulnerability to resilience, and from aspiration to action,” urged Dr. Diana Nambatya Nsubuga, Head of the SRMNCAH Division at Africa CDC.
To realize this vision, Dr. Nambatya Nsubuga outlined five core strategic priorities for the continent which are strengthening foundational primary healthcare systems, securing predictable domestic health financing, accelerating digital health transformations, expanding local manufacturing of vital health commodities and medicines, and reforming the global health architecture to be explicitly led by Africa.
Mapping the Path Forward
The workshop serves as the baseline for a landmark continental report, with 50 out of 55 AU Member States (91 percent) having already finalized their national policy assessments. Africa CDC is actively engaging the remaining five nations to ensure total continental representation.
The host nation, represented by Kenya’s Ministry of Health, welcomed the delegation by showcasing its own recent investments in emergency obstetric services, community health infrastructure, and digital tracking mechanisms. Over the course of the three-day convention, regional stakeholders from the WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, and the East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community will finalize evidence-driven frameworks. These verified assessments will ultimately equip member states with the policy tools required to mobilize domestic resources, enforce institutional accountability, and eliminate preventable maternal mortality across Africa.
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