Lusaka – Across the African continent, fragile health systems are often the first to falter when crisis strikes, with profound impacts on lives and, livelihoods and health, and often times causing long-term socio-economic disruptions.

Renewing efforts to protect communities from the growing threat of health emergencies, health ministers meeting for the Seventy-fifth session of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for Africa in Lusaka, Zambia, agreed to take urgent steps to reinforce national capacities to anticipate, respond to, and recover from public health threats.

A central focus of the discussions was the development of a robust and equitably distributed health workforce. Countries pledged to expand recruitment, ensure fair deployment between urban and rural areas, and invest in continuous training to prepare health workers for both routine care and emergency response. Educational institutions will be engaged more closely to align training programmes with national strategies and evolving health security needs.

In 2025, WHO and partners have responded to more than 21 public health emergencies across the continent, ranging from mpox, cholera, measles, and dengue outbreaks to complex humanitarian crises driven by conflict and displacement. Each response has required rapid mobilization of experts, supplies, and funding, often in multiple countries at once, underscoring the relentless nature of emergency work in the region.

“We can no longer afford to be caught unprepared,” said Dr Mohamed Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “Our region has made significant progress in recent years, but every emergency that disrupts health systems and upends people’s health and well-being is an important lesson to learn from. We must build resilient systems to cope with health emergencies and at the same time deliver routine services effectively.”

Ministers also underscored the need to integrate resilience into the core of health service delivery, particularly in fragile and conflict-affected areas. They emphasized the importance of empowering leadership, improving coordination mechanisms, and ensuring infrastructure and services can withstand future shocks. Past experiences will be used to guide system-wide improvements and reinforce preparedness at every level.

The ministers also deliberate on closely involving communities in preparedness planning, co-developing early warning systems with frontline actors, and strengthening grassroots organizations with the tools and training necessary to respond effectively when emergencies arise. This shift toward localized readiness is seen as critical to improving trust, accelerating response times, and ensuring no community is left behind.

The ministers acknowledged that these commitments must be backed by sustainable resources. To this end, they agreed to mobilize domestic funding to ensure that preparedness and response efforts are not dependent solely on external emergency appeals. Resources will be directed where they are needed most, at the frontlines to support both immediate needs and long-term capacity building.