African health leaders have called for renewed commitment to health sovereignty, local innovation, and sustainable financing as the continent prepares to host the 2025 International Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA) in Durban, South Africa.

Jean Kaseya, the director general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), made the call at the launch of CPHIA 2025 on Tuesday via webinar.

He said Africa must move from dependency to self-sufficiency by financing and leading its own health agenda.

“Africa cannot afford to continue with business as usual. We must rethink how we deliver and finance healthcare.

“It is time for Africa to start financing its own health systems.

“Out-of-pocket payments are not the solution. Financing reform must be about justice, governance, and equity, especially for women, who often bear the greatest burden,” Mr Kaseya said.

He said the Africa CDC’s Health Financing for Sustainable Health Systems Strategy is helping countries mobilise domestic resources and introduce innovative financing such as health taxes and diaspora bonds, among others.

Mr Kaseya said that the conference would serve as a platform for African governments to showcase country-led reforms, promote community health insurance models, and scale up innovations that make healthcare more accessible and resilient.

The CPHIA 2025 co-chair, Olive Shisana, who is also the president and CEO of Evidence-Based Solutions, described the conference as a “launchpad for Africa’s health sovereignty”.

“CPHIA 2025 is more than a conference; it’s a platform for Africa to reclaim leadership in global health.

“The theme, moving towards self-reliance to achieve investment recovery in health security in Africa, speaks directly to the urgency of our time. Self-reliance is not isolation; it is resilience, “ Ms Shisana said.

She said the conference would revolve around three key pillars, namely primary healthcare transformation, which focuses on strengthening the backbone of health systems.

Others are predictable health financing, aimed at securing sustainable resources, and local manufacturing, which seeks to scale up the production of vaccines, medicines, and diagnostics.

She added that the outcomes from CPHIA 2025 would feed directly into the G20 Leaders’ Declaration, aligning African priorities with global health policy.

Ms Shisana said hosting CPHIA 2025 under the country’s G20 Presidency provides a unique opportunity for Africa to shape the global health agenda.

“CPHIA 2025 will not only amplify African voices but also align with South Africa’s G20 priorities, especially in health financing, manufacturing, and universal coverage,” she said.

According to her, this is Africa’s moment. A moment to finance our future, manufacture our solutions, and safeguard the health and dignity of every African.

Also speaking, the president of Africa BIO, Nhlanhla Msomi, said Africa must invest in its own scientists and innovators to break free from dependency on imported technologies and pharmaceuticals.

“Our vision is for innovation to be dictated by Africans and to address the problems we care about.

“Many epidemics across the continent still lack diagnostics or pharmaceuticals because global innovation agendas often overlook them.

“Through BioAfrica and CPHIA 2025, we want to redefine that model, “Mr Msomi said.

He said that through the Africa BIO and Africa CDC partnership, Africa was building a continent-driven pharmaceutical development platform, ensuring that local innovations were scaled and integrated into healthcare systems.

CPHIA 2025, co-hosted by the government of South Africa and the Africa CDC, will take place in Durban, days before the G20 Health Ministers’ and Leaders’ meetings.

The conference will feature scientists, policymakers, innovators, and community leaders from across Africa, and its policy recommendations are expected to inform the African Union’s contribution to global health governance.

CPHIA was first held virtually in December 2021 and has since been held annually, with the second edition in 2022 and the third and fourth rescheduled from 2024 to 2025.

(NAN)