14 african countries pledge to invest over $45 million in healthcare

Fourteen African countries and numerous partners have pledged more than $45 million to the World Health Organization’s first-ever investment cycle, according to reports.

“These commitments were made at the meeting of the World Health Organization’s Regional Committee for Africa, during which heads of state and government from across the continent emphasized the importance of investing in global health and ensuring the strength of WHO,” the statement reads.

The countries involved are: Botswana, Cape Verde, Chad, Congo, Ethiopia, Gambia, Mauritius, Namibia, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa and Tanzania.

The partners are : Helmsley Charitable Trust, World Diabetes Foundation, Roche, Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, African Development Bank and WHO Foundation.

Investing in health on the African continent will enable WHO “to better support countries in their efforts to build healthier, more resilient and more prosperous populations”, said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, in the text.

Launched at the World Health Assembly in May 2024, the investment cycle aims to generate “flexible and resilient contributions insofar as they will come from a broader and more diverse set of donors”.