Opening Remarks at the High-Level Side Event of the World Health Assembly on ‘’The Future of Domestic Financing for Health is Now – Africa’s Pathway to Sustainable Health Systems’’

By H.E Amb. Amma Adomaa Twum-Amoah

Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development

Date: 22 May 2025

Honourable Ministers, Excellencies, distinguished guests, partners and colleagues, it is a pleasure and honour to join you this morning on behalf of the African Union Commission for this timely and critical conversation.

On Shared Responsibility and Shifting Priorities

Africa’s progress in health has been made possible, in large part, through the support of valued global partners—many of whom are in this room.

We remain grateful for this solidarity. But we also recognise that the landscape is changing, donor resources are declining, and the nature of global threats is evolving.

This moment calls not for withdrawal but for recalibration—a shift from dependency to balanced partnership, from fragmented inputs to system-wide investment, and from emergency response to long-term resilience.

The Imperative of Domestic Investment

Let me be clear: domestic financing is no longer a vision—it is an imperative.

It is not about replacing partners. It is about increasing our stake in our own future.

Our people expect more. Our economies cannot afford fragility. And our health systems must be resilient enough to withstand the next crisis—whether from a virus, a flood, or a conflict.

We need to move from budgeting for survival to planning for sovereignty.

AU's Strategic Direction

The African Union is advancing a clear agenda, anchored in:

1. Strengthening primary health care—the foundation of Universal Health Coverage;
2. Investing in our health workforce—especially our youth and women;
3. Expanding local manufacturing and innovation—to reduce external dependence and build economic value.

We are aligning this with the Africa Health Strategy, Agenda 2063, and the AU Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plan.

Honourable Ministers,

We need more from member states, we are urging ministries of finance to:

Ringfence and expand health allocations, even in tight budgets – the aim is to meet the Abuja Declaration, which called for member states to dedicate 15% of their respective budgets to the health sector; improve budget execution and transparency;

explore health taxes, sovereign health bonds, and innovative domestic instruments.

We must make the case that investing in health is investing in productivity, in peace and in economic transformation.

What We Ask of Our Global Partners

We are not asking partners to step back—we are asking you to walk with us differently.

Help us transition from fragmented aid to aligned, co-financed strategies.

Support blended financing, health investment cases, and smart risk-sharing models.

Continue to provide technical support where gaps remain—but within AU-led frameworks.

This is not a rejection of global cooperation. It is an invitation to co-create a new financing architecture where African ownership is matched by global partnership.

Closing Call

Let today be the start of a new compact:

African-led in ambition, domestically anchored in commitment and globally supported in solidarity.

Together, we can build health systems that are resilient, equitable, and future-ready—for every African, in every corner of our continent.

I thank you.