"Africa does not need more private regions" – AU Health Commissioner calls for unity, regional leadership and predictable health financing

Her Excellency Amma Adomaa Twum-Amoah, the African Union’s Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, has called for an end to fragmented health responses across the continent.

Speaking at a high-level Africa Health Sovereignty Summit held in Accra on Tuesday, Commissioner Twum-Amoah declared emphatically: “Africa does not need more private regions.”

Instead, she emphasized the continent's urgent need for predictable financing, mutual accountability, and respect for regional leadership in shaping a unified and resilient health ecosystem.

“We are not building parallel networks. We are building a new recurring system where resilience, equity, and utilization are not afterthoughts, but are the founding principles of our continent,” she stated, drawing applause from leaders and policymakers gathered from across Africa and the global health community.

Amb. Twum-Amoah’s remarks come at a pivotal moment as Africa continues to recalibrate its approach to health governance in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which exposed deep vulnerabilities in supply chains, vaccine access, and institutional preparedness

The AU Commissioner outlined a strategic vision built on three major pillars:

1. Transitioning national health priorities into continental platforms,

2. Rebalancing global health governance, and

3. Building an integrated ecosystem of resilient public services.

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“Africa’s voice must not merely react to global systems – it must shape them,” she stressed, underscoring that only through policy harmonization, procurement aggregation, and collective continental platforms can the continent build the leverage it needs on the world stage.

Madam Twum-Amoah further pointed out that while donor-driven, private health projects have played roles in the past, the time has come to shift towards African-owned systems.

She warned against “externally driven, reactive” models, advocating instead for African-led solutions with support — not substitution — from international partners.

Referring to key instruments such as the Africa CDC, the African Medicines Agency, and the soon-to-be-professionalized African Humanitarian Agency, Ambassador Twum-Amoah reiterated the African Union’s commitment to creating “future-facing systems” rooted in continental accountability.

“These are not just aspirations,” she affirmed.

“They are integration programmes for investment, for development, and for delivery.”

She also made a strong case for institutionalizing health targets, referencing the Abuja Declaration that called for 15% of national budgets to be allocated to health.

“What the AU does is not to replace national ambition — it amplifies it,” she added.

Addressing the failures exposed during the pandemic, she declared: “These were not market failures — they were governance failures.”

She proposed a rebalanced global partnership that reflects Africa’s legitimate role as co-designer of global health systems.

She called for an African Union seat in the global pandemic fund and stressed that financing mechanisms must be routed through African institutions like the Africa CDC and regional economic communities.

Her remarks resonated with a central message of unity: Africa’s strength lies in collective action.

She paid tribute to past and present African leaders, including President John Dramani Mahama, for their foresight in hosting the summit, and honored the legacy of the late Kofi Annan for advancing Africa’s global health agenda.

Madam Twum-Amoah closed with a stirring reminder: “No country, no continent is an island. If we work together, we will all achieve what we want.”

Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith