AFRICAN

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Renowned public health experts and leaders endorse a vision for an Africa health
transformation programme to enhance health in the African Region
An independent advisory group (IAG),
comprising renowned public health experts
and leaders, has endorsed the Africa Health
Transformation Programme 2015–2020:
A vision for universal health coverage,
proposed by Dr Moeti, WHO Regional
Director for Africa.
At its inaugural meeting, held in
Johannesburg 4–5 May 2015, the IAG
congratulated the Regional Director for
convening the IAG and for her vision, calling
it a step in the right direction and a testimony
to her personal commitment to change the
work of WHO in the Region.
In her opening remarks, Dr Moeti observed
that addressing the health challenges in
the African Region required rethinking the
way the WHO Secretariat approaches the
planning and implementation of health
programmes and services in support of
Member States. It is expected that the
implementation of the transformation
programme will address the unacceptable
inequities and injustices in the Region’s
health development.
“We are taking a once-in-a-generation
opportunity to transform the future for
Africa, to strengthen health and economic
security globally, and to deliver on the goals
for a new era of sustainable development”,
said Dr Moeti.
The WHO Regional Office for Africa will lead
the transformation in health and well-being
based on five interrelated and overlapping
priorities:
• Improving health security;
• Strengthening national health systems;
• Sustaining focus on health-related SDGs;
• Addressing the social determinants of
health; and
• Transforming the WHO Regional Office
for Africa into a responsive and resultsdriven
organization.
The Regional Director told the participants
that the strategy is bold and ambitious, but
that it can be delivered. “We will deliver
on our promise through our shared values
of equity, dignity, transparency, integrity,
professionalism and openness”, she added.
It was highlighted that the growing
recognition of health as critical to the SDGs,
the dividends of unprecedented economic
growth, political stability and the birth of a
new middle class, among other factors,
could be translated into tangible human
development benefits that can enable Africa
to contribute to global health and economic
security worldwide.
The IAG was set up by Dr Matshidiso Moeti
to provide strategic and policy advice aimed
at strengthening the work of WHO in the
African Region to make better health a
reality for people.
WHO and AUC take stock on joint efforts to improve collaboration
High-ranking officials from the African
Union Commission (AUC) and WHO met
in Brazzaville on 30 June to review their
collaborative efforts to improve the health of
people in Africa.
Among the issues discussed were the
progress made so far in the WHO-AUC
partnership; the establishment of the African
Centre for Disease Control (African CDC) and
ways of improving collaboration between it
and WHO. The meeting also deliberated on
how far African countries have implemented
the agreed actions during the first AUC-
WHO ministerial conference held in Luanda,
Angola in April 2014.
Welcoming the delegates, Dr Matshidiso
Moeti, the WHO Regional Director for
Africa, underscored the strategic importance
of the WHO-AUC partnership. She noted
that the comparative advantage of the
two organizations, their convening powers
and their roles as secretariats of Member
States can help position health as a central
development theme on the continent,
particularly in the context of the post-2015
development agenda.
“It is particularly important that we continue
to explore how best we can more effectively
synergize the work of our two institutions
for the betterment of our people in Africa.
I am talking about the political mandate of
the AUC and the technical mandate of WHO
and how best they can be used together in
a complementary and synergistic manner”,
said Dr Moeti.
The Regional Director commended the AUC
for its advocacy and mobilization of nearly
1 000 volunteers in response to the Ebola
virus disease outbreak.
In his remarks, Dr Mustapha Kaloko, the
AUC Commissioner for Social Affairs,
highlighted some of the achievements of
the AUC-WHO partnership during the past
three years, including the re-establishment
of a WHO Liaison Office to the AUC, a
joint ministerial meeting in Angola and the
development of a joint work plan. He said
although the collaboration is going well,
both parties could further strengthen it by
having a common position before consulting
Member States on matters of mutual
interest such as the establishment of the
African CDC. Dr Kaloko further stressed
the need for the AUC and WHO to work
together to respond to emergencies as well
as to coordinate the continent in speaking
with one voice at international fora such as
the World Health Assembly.
The two-day bilateral meeting agreed on a
revised joint work plan for the period 2015–
2016, including preparations for the next
joint ministerial meeting which is expected
to take place in Tunis, Tunisia in April 2016.
ISSUE 20 • SPECIAL ISSUE ON UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE 67