Africa is stepping up efforts to drive systems-level health reform as the Aga Khan University (AKU) and United Nations health agencies intensify preparations for the World Health Summit Regional Meeting (WHSRM) to be held in Nairobi in April 2026.
AKU has met with senior officials from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) UNAIDS and the United Nations UN Women, collectively known as the H6, alongside the International Organization for Migration, to align institutional priorities and position the Summit as a platform for African-led solutions to persistent health system challenges.
The UN agencies welcomed AKU’s leadership in convening the Summit and highlighted Nairobi’s growing importance as a regional hub for multilateral health engagement, noting that the meeting would help amplify Africa’s voice in global health policy debates.
“Hosting this Summit in Nairobi puts Kenya firmly on the global health map,” said Dr. Shaheen Nilofer, UNICEF representative to Kenya, adding that the Summit’s themes strongly align with UN priorities, including the Every Woman, Every Child agenda, and offer an opportunity to unite policymakers, practitioners and development partners around shared goals.
Atwoli Lukoye, dean of AKU’s Medical College in East Africa and international president of the World Health Summit Regional Meeting, said Africa must move beyond fragmented interventions toward coordinated, systems-level change.
“Africa must shift from isolated projects to systems-level change. The Summit will convene policymakers, civil society, researchers, the private sector and development partners around measurable solutions and elevate Africa’s voice in global health conversations,” said Lukoye.
Joining Lukoye from AKU were Aga Khan University Hospital CEO Rahid Khalani; Brain and Mind Institute director, Zul Merali; director of the Cancer Centre, Mansoor Saleh and director of University Advancement, Arif Neky among other officials.
The meeting underscored the shared recognition that Africa’s rapidly changing health landscape requires deeper collaboration and more coordinated investment.
Discussions covered several priority areas, including adolescent health, cancer research and genomics, mental health, local pharmaceutical manufacturing, health security, and the commercial determinants of health.
AKU experts highlighted ongoing work in cancer genomics, mental health epidemiology and health innovation, while UN agencies expressed interest in co-hosting sessions, report launches and side events at WHSRM Nairobi.
Participants noted the importance of strengthening the role of research and data in informing policy, particularly in areas where African populations face unique challenges, such as genetic variations in cancer, mental health stigma, and gaps in access to essential medicines.
The meeting also emphasized the need to involve youth, civil society and the private sector more deliberately, recognising their role in shaping sustainable, long-term health systems.
There was broad acknowledgement that Kenya’s growing health innovation ecosystem, spanning digital health, biotechnology, community health, and regulatory reform offers a strong foundation for hosting a Summit of global and regional significance. Participants also noted strong support from the Government of Kenya, including plans for an AU-led Head-of-State segment and a ministerial convening during the Summit.
WHSRM Nairobi is set to benefit Nigeria, which is rapidly strengthening its health system through major reforms and investments, including the commissioning of the African Medical Centre of Excellence (AMCE) in Abuja and over $2.2 billion secured under the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative.
The country is renovating more than 17,000 primary health centres, training 120,000 frontline health workers, and expanding the National Health Insurance Scheme to include informal sector workers, with a target of covering 83 million Nigerians by 2030.
Nigeria’s health tech sector has also gained momentum, raising over $50 million in 2024, reinforcing its leadership in digital health innovation and accelerating progress toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
The meeting follows an AKU-led donor roundtable on financing integrated African health systems, reflecting growing momentum among regional and global partners.
Taken together, these engagements demonstrate increasing alignment among governments, academia, development partners and the private sector around accelerating African-led health systems reform.
