Africa’s health sector is facing an unprecedented financing crisis, driven by a sharp decline of 70% in Official Development Assistance (ODA) from 2021 to 2025 and deep-rooted structural vulnerabilities. This collapse is placing immense pressure on Africa’s already fragile health systems as ODA ...is seen as the backbone of critical health programs: pandemic preparedness, maternal and child health services, disease control programs are all at
risk, threatening Sustainable Development Goal 3 and Universal Health Coverage. Compounding this is Africa’s spiraling debt, with countries expected to service USD 81 billion by 2025—surpassing anticipated external financing inflows—further eroding fiscal space for health investments. Level of domestic resources is low. TThe Abuja Declaration of 2001, a pivotal commitment made by African Union (AU) member states, aimed to reverse this trend by pledging to allocate at least 15% of national budgets to the health sector. However, more than two decades later, only three countries—Rwanda, Botswana, and Cabo Verde—have
consistently met or exceeded this target (WHO, 2023). In contrast, over 30 AU member states remain well below the 10% benchmark, with some allocating as little as 5–7% of their national budgets to health.
In addition, only 16 (29%) of African countries currently have updated versions of National Health Development Plan (NHDP) supported by a National Health Financing Plan (NHFP). These two documents play a critical role in driving internal resource mobilisation. At the same time, public health emergencies are surging, rising 41%—from 152 in 2022 to
213 in 2024—exposing severe under-resourcing of health infrastructure and workforce. Recurring outbreaks (Mpox, Ebola, cholera, measles, Marburg…) alongside effects of climate change and humanitarian crises in Eastern DRC, the Sahel, and Sudan, are overwhelming systems stretched by chronic underfunding. The situation is worsened by Africa’s heavy dependency with over 90% of vaccines, medicines, and diagnostics being externally sourced—leaving countries vulnerable to global supply chain shocks. Health worker shortages persist, with only 2.3 professionals
per 1,000 people (below the WHO’s recommended 4.45), and fewer than 30% of systems are digitized, undermining disease surveillance and early warning. Without decisive action, Africa CDC projects the continent could reverse two decades of health progress, face 2 to 4 million additional preventable deaths annually, and a heightened risk of a pandemic emerging from within. Furthermore, 39 million more
Africans could be pushed into poverty by 2030 due to intertwined health and economic shocks. This is not just a sectoral crisis—it is an existential threat to Africa’s political, social, and economic resilience, and global stability. In response, African leaders, under Africa CDC’s stewardship, are advancing a comprehensive three-pillar strategy centered on domestic resource mobilization, innovative financing, and blended finance.
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Anopheles stephensi is an invasive mosquito species which has been found spreading across Africa. While this species presents a new challenge for malaria control on the continent, its surveillance and management have been ongoing in Asia for many years. This document aims to summarize key lessons fr...om 3 countries – India, the Islamic Republic of Iran and Sri Lanka – that have been working to control An. stephensi. It is hoped that their experiences and insights will be valuable for countries encountering An. stephensi for the first time.
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Plus de 700 000 personnes perdent la vie par suicide chaque année. La réduction d’un tiers du taux mondial de mortalité par suicide d’ici à 2030 est à la fois un indicateur et une cible (la seule pour la santé mentale) dans les objectifs de développement durable des Nations Unies et dans ...le Plan d’action global de l’OMS pour la santé mentale 2013–2030. Le treizième programme général de travail 2019–2023 de l’OMS comprend le même indicateur avec une réduction de 15 % à l’horizon 2023.
Le monde n’est pas sur la bonne voie pour atteindre les cibles de la réduction du suicide fixées pour 2030. L’OMS encourage les pays à prendre des mesures pour prévenir le suicide, idéalement par le biais d’une stratégie nationale intégrée de prévention du suicide. Les gouvernements et les communautés peuvent contribuer à la prévention du suicide en mettant en œuvre l’approche LIVE LIFE de l’OMS, dont le but est de servir de base pour commencer la prévention du suicide, et dont ils peuvent s’inspirer pour élaborer une stratégie nationale intégrée de prévention du suicide. Le présent guide s’adresse à tous les pays, qu’ils disposent actuellement ou non d’une stratégie nationale de prévention du suicide.
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Guía de buenas prácticas.Tercera edición
Las directrices se organizan en torno a ocho principios clave que corresponden al curso del contrato de un funcionario. El diagrama adjunto representa los principios de forma visual. Cada principio cuenta con indicadores y comentarios de apoyo, así como ...con estudios de caso diseñados para ayudar al lector a comprender mejor los conceptos en los que se basan los principios y cómo pueden llevarse a la práctica. Los principios e indicadores están pensados para ser aplicados tanto al personal internacional como al nacional y tanto al de oficina como al de campo, reconociendo que puede ser necesario realizar ajustes para tener en cuenta las necesidades y características únicas de cada grupo y de la organización. Constituyen una herramienta de aprendizaje, reflexión y planificación, más que un conjunto de reglas rígidas o soluciones aplicables en todas las condiciones.
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Kuruluşlararası Daimî Komite (IASC) Acil Durumlarda Ruh Sağlığı ve Psikososyal Destek Referans Grubu
The* Facilitator manual on community-based psychosocial support *and the* Volunteers manual on community-based psychosocial support* provides resources for trainers and participants in key aspects of psychosocial support, including understanding the impact of crisis events, supportive communication,... protection issues and self-care.
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In 2021, the humanitarian community continued to support those in need, placing protection at the centre of its response. Learning from and building on past efforts, humanitarian actors will continue to respond and adapt their response to the various shocks impacting populations in Cameroon, such as... violence against civilians, natural disasters, and epidemics, including the COVID-19 pandemic.
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From Individual to Collective healing: A trainer’s manual
With a focus on Pakistan and Nigeria’s most vulnerable communities, this report provides insight about the role that community push-back is playing in the transmission of the polio virus and how the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) can mitigate these social risks to reach every missed ch...ild.
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When situations occur in which unwanted events are rightly or wrongly connected with vaccination, they may erode confidence in vaccines and the authorities delivering them. This document presents the scientific evidence behind WHO’s recommendations on building and restoring confidence in vaccines ...and vaccination, both in ongoing work and during crises. The evidence draws on a vast reserve of laboratory research and fieldwork within psychology and communication. It examines how people make decisions about vaccination; why some people are hesitant about vaccination; and the factors that drive a crisis, covering how building trust, listening to and understanding people, building relations, communicating risk and shaping messages to the audiences may mitigate crises. This document provides a knowledge base for stakeholders who develop communication strategies or facilitate workshops on communication and trust-building activities in relation to vaccines and immunization, such as immunization programme units, ministries of health, public relations and health promotion units, vaccine safety communication trainers and immunization advisory bodies.
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Participatory Assessment with Children and Adolescents. An UNHCR Tool for Operations
Manual for Trainers and Programme Managers
The Report describes the evaluation of WHO's contribution to the Maternal Health Program in South-East Asia Region. This was an independent evaluation conducted in 2015 by Amaltas, a Delhi based organization. The evaluation highlights the progress in five countries, namely Bangladesh, Indonesia, Mya...nmar, Nepal and Sri Lanka and provides specific recommendations for Organizational Learning and Development. This report will be useful for all those interested in WHO's work on Maternal Health Program in the Region.
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Contact No 175 - October December 2001
The guideline uses state-of-the-art evidence to identify effective policy options to strengthen community health worker (CHW) programme performance through their proper integration in health systems and communities.
Successful delivery of services through CHWs requires evidence-based models for edu...cation, deployment and management of these health workers. The guideline is intended as a tool for national policy makers and planners and their international partners to use in the design, implementation, performance and evaluation of effective community health worker programmes. It contains pragmatic recommendations on selection, training and certification; management and supervision: and integration into health systems and community engagement.
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For the control of vectors and pests of public health importance. Sixth edition
This report, which involved input from across WaterAid, in particular from the Programme Support Unit (PSU) of WaterAid UK, includes case studies from a variety of countries, including Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, India and Nepal, each demonstrating what must be done now to i...mprove WASH services and address current challenges, in order to increase community resilience to climate change.
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