Remarks · 24 September 2025
Excellencies, Partners and Friends,
The subject before us is one that touches the very heart of our people — the question is no longer whether Africa can finance its own health systems, but how quickly and decisively we will do so.
For decades, Africa’s health gains have been supported through international solidarity. We remain deeply grateful for this partnership. Yet as we look to Agenda 2063, our shared vision of a healthy and prosperous continent, we must confront a clear reality: Africa cannot build resilience on borrowed resources or borrowed solutions.
The future of African health financing lies in our own hands. Encouragingly, across the continent, change is already underway. From maternal and child health, to the fights against HIV, TB, and malaria, we have made progress — but the task ahead demands more.
Malaria, in particular, must be eliminated from Africa. Kenya remains fully committed to the African Leaders Malaria Alliance and to the “Zero Malaria Starts with Me” campaign. Through the Kenya Malaria Youth Corps, we are mobilising our young people and communities to lead this fight.
At home, Kenya has pioneered new models of health financing. In 2024, we launched a new national health insurance framework based on equity, sustainability, and universal access through prepayment.
Across Africa, countries like Rwanda, Nigeria, and Ghana are testing health-focused taxes and performance-based financing. Mobile money, fintech, and diaspora engagement are opening exciting new doors.
But more must be done. Vigorous domestic and continental resource mobilisation is urgent. We must embrace innovative taxes, debt swaps, and blended financing mechanisms in partnership with our development allies. These are not isolated experiments — they represent a continental shift towards models rooted in Africa’s own economic realities.
At the same time, Excellencies, we must speak truth to power. The global health architecture remains unbalanced. Africa cannot continue to be last in line for vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments. Equity is not charity — it is justice. We therefore call for fair pricing, meaningful technology transfer, inclusive research and development, and sustained investment in African manufacturing. This is why Africa’s active leadership in the negotiations on the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing Annex of the Pandemic Treaty is nonnegotiable.
Let it be clear: Africa is not asking for permission to lead. We are already leading. But we seek a partnership that is grounded in mutual respect, shared responsibility, and global fairness.
Africa can and must finance its own health future. With ambition, innovation, and unity, we can deliver a future where every African enjoys quality, affordable healthcare — financed by Africa, for Africa.
Together, let us rise to this moment. Let us prove that resilient health systems are the cornerstone of dignity, prosperity, and security. I thank you.