African heads of state and government will assemble in Ghana’s capital on Tuesday for a critical two-day Extraordinary Session of the African Union (AU) Assembly, completely dedicated to tackling the continent’s most pressing health crises.
The summit, running from July 21 to 22, aims to speed up continental commitments to eliminate AIDS and tuberculosis as public health threats by 2030. Leaders will also focus on expanding universal health coverage, upgrading dilapidated health infrastructure, and drastically reducing preventable maternal deaths across Africa.
The theme of the gathering focuses heavily on advancing justice and equity in healthcare, specifically aiming to pull together resources for neglected tropical diseases and non-communicable illnesses.
This extraordinary session is the direct result of a mandate passed last year during the 38th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where member states called for a unified, dedicated platform to address public health security. A major goal of the two-day gathering is to secure a formal declaration implementing the AU Roadmap to 2030, a comprehensive strategy focused on boosting domestic health funding and increasing regional pharmaceutical manufacturing, so the continent is less dependent on foreign aid.
–ChannelAfrica–
