By Esther Olaoluwa |
The African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) has reaffirmed the importance of stronger institutional collaboration in advancing Africa’s public health agenda following the fourth meeting of the African Union Health Ecosystem Technical Coordination Mechanism (AU-HETCoM).
The meeting, held on the sidelines of the African Union Extraordinary Summit on Health in Accra, Ghana, brought together senior officials from the African Union, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the African Medicines Agency (AMA) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), among other stakeholders.
Led by the Director of AUDA-NEPAD’s Health and Well-Being Cluster, Symerre Grey, under the guidance of the agency’s Chief Executive Officer, Nardos Bekele-Thomas, the meeting focused on strengthening coordination among continental institutions to improve health outcomes across Africa.
Participants stressed that achieving Africa’s health goals requires coordinated action, shared priorities and stronger collaboration among institutions rather than isolated interventions.
Five Strategic Priorities
The meeting identified five priority areas that will guide the work of the coordination mechanism. These include health financing and investment; local manufacturing of essential medical products; health data, digitalisation and innovation; global health architecture and strengthening Africa’s voice in global health governance; and health security, including pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.
According to AUDA-NEPAD, the coordinated approach is expected to improve institutional alignment, reduce duplication of efforts and accelerate the implementation of continental health commitments.
AUDA-NEPAD to Serve as Interim Secretariat
AUDA-NEPAD will serve as the interim secretariat of AU-HETCoM for the next three years, providing strategic coordination and supporting collaboration among participating institutions.
Speaking during the meeting, Director of Human Capital and Institutional Development at AUDA-NEPAD, Symerre Grey, said the mechanism provides an opportunity for African institutions to align their expertise and resources toward practical solutions that improve the health and well-being of citizens across the continent.
He noted that the continent’s greatest strength lies in collective action, adding that the coordination platform will help transform shared priorities into measurable progress.
The agency said AU-HETCoM is expected to strengthen health financing, support resilient medical supply chains, improve pandemic preparedness and contribute to the development of an integrated African health ecosystem in line with the aspirations of Agenda 2063.
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