Africa CDC has launched the Africa Health Security and Sovereignty Agenda
It aims to strengthen preparedness, boost local manufacturing, advance digital transformation and reduce reliance on external systems.
Building on the New Public Health Order, the initiative addresses declining aid, rising outbreaks and climate challenges.
On November 21, 2025, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the African Union’s public health body, introduced the updated Africa Health Security and Sovereignty (AHSS) Agenda aimed at enhancing preparedness, boosting regional production, advancing digital innovation and decreasing dependence on foreign systems.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Africa introduced the ambitious New Public Health Order (NPHO) aimed at enhancing institutions, healthcare workforce, manufacturing capacity, domestic funding, and collaborative partnerships to bolster health security.
The AHSS Agenda builds on NPHO. This order was endorsed by the African Heads of State in 2022. Although the NPHO achieved notable advancements in establishing institutions, enhancing workforce skills, and fostering regional cooperation, Africa is currently confronted with emerging challenges.
Since 2021, external health assistance has fallen by almost 70 per cent, even as disease outbreaks surged by over 40 per cent during 2022-2024.
African health systems are under pressure from climate-related shocks and geopolitical shifts, with vulnerable supply chains and persistent inequalities worsening the situation. In response, the Africa CDC convened multiple key meetings with leaders from across the continent to tackle these challenges.
Africa CDC was assigned the responsibility of developing an enhanced vision founded on five main pillars: A reformed and inclusive global health framework; the institutionalisation of the Continental Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response (PPPR) Agenda; reliable, domestic, innovative, and mixed health financing; digital advancement; and local production.
The first pillar focuses on reforming the global health framework, following the principle that nations take the lead, regions facilitate coordination and the global level provides support.
The second pillar of PPPR includes integrating surveillance systems, laboratory networks and emergency response teams. This will be backed by the African Epidemic Fund, which will mobilise resources from multiple sources and ensure their timely availability to Member States in need.
The third pillar emphasises sustainable health funding, as outlined in 'Africa Health Financing in a New Era'. The Africa CDC advocates for greater mobilisation of domestic resources and the adoption of innovative financing approaches, such as health-specific levies.
The fourth pillar aims to drive the Digital Transformation Agenda by creating a Digital Intelligence Ecosystem owned by regions and countries, facilitating real-time data exchange from local communities to national and continental platforms.
The fifth pillar supports local manufacturing through the African Pooled Procurement Mechanism. The goal is for at least 60 per cent of essential medical medical countermeasures — including vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics — to be produced on the continent by 2040.
“A secure and self-reliant Africa is essential not only for our continent, but for the stability of global health systems. Health sovereignty does not mean isolation — it signals a new model of partnership in which African nations lead with clarity and confidence, and global partners support African-defined priorities,” said HE Dr Jean Kaseya, director-general of Africa CDC, while unveiling the new agenda.
Recognising the ongoing challenges such as financing gaps and governance issues, Africa CDC aims for ambitious and unified continental approach. They plan to work closely with African Union Member States to create a scorecard for accountability in implementing the AHSS Agenda.