African health leaders are calling for greater investment, regional cooperation and self-reliance to improve health security on the continent as external funding declines.
This was highlighted at the fifth Southern Africa Regional Ministerial Steering Committee meeting in Windhoek.
President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said Namibia remains committed to delivering quality healthcare under its national development vision.
Dr. Nandi-Ndaitwah added that Africa should not only consume health innovations but also become a contributor to regional science and innovation.
Her speech was delivered on her behalf by The National Planning Commission's Director-General Kaire Mbuende.
"This meeting must now ask a simple but necessary question: how far have we moved from commitment to implementation? Where progress has been slow, we must identify the obstacles, agree on corrective measures and assign clear responsibilities and timelines."
WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus called for stronger African ownership of the continent's health future, urging countries to invest in resilient health systems and sustainable domestic financing as external funding changes.
"Many African leaders have seen the crisis for what it is: an opportunity to leave behind the era of dependency and to realise the long health dream of sovereignty."
The Southern Africa Regional Surveillance & Coordination (ReSCO) chairperson, Madalitso Baloyi, stressed the interconnectedness of African health systems, calling for greater investment in the continent's own health ambitions.
"Our ambition can not stop at one African country manufacturing and another African country binding that will create some form of dependency."
Namibia's Health and Social Services Minister and ReSCO Vice-Chair, Esperance Luvindao, said African countries must work together because disease outbreaks do not respect borders.
"When healthcare leadership knows borders, we get ourselves in situations where we put the lives of Africans at risk."
The two-day ReSCO meeting is bringing together health ministers and senior officials to strengthen regional health security, resilient health systems and sustainable health financing.