13 African Countries Forge New Front in Cross-Border Health Security

Addis Ababa, August 28, 2026 (FMC) — Thirteen African countries have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen cross-border cooperation on disease prevention, health information sharing and the joint provision of medical supplies, marking a major step toward improving outbreak preparedness across the continent.

Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Angola and Tanzania are among the countries that signed the agreement, announced during the 76th Session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa (RC76).

Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) Director General Mesay Hailu and World Bank Senior Health Specialist Tseganeh Amsalu highlighted Ethiopia’s progress in strengthening its health security system and regional preparedness for disease outbreaks.

Mesay said Ethiopia’s health security reforms have positioned EPHI as the national focal point for implementing the International Health Regulations (IHR), with key functions distributed across national, subnational and international public health emergency management systems.

“Following our first National Action Plan for Health Security, a joint external evaluation demonstrated an increase in overall capacity to 61 percent in 2023,” he noted.

He added that, under the second National Action Plan for Health Security, covering 2024 to 2028, performance across all capacity areas is being systematically monitored.

Mesay also highlighted Ethiopia’s efforts to align its health security framework with the 2024 amendments to the IHR, including a commitment to reviewing and realigning local laws.

He welcomed references to outcome documents of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Inter-Parliamentary Union as benchmarks for measuring progress in strengthening health security capacities at the subnational level.

While the ultimate objective is to ensure that no disease outbreak is missed, Mesay said Ethiopia has already expanded its public health emergency management structures to the district level and established targets for strengthening subnational preparedness.

Speaking on financing and regional cooperation, Tseganeh said the MoU among Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Angola and Tanzania is designed to institutionalize cooperation before disease outbreaks occur.

He said the agreement focuses on exchanging critical health information and facilitating the sharing of medical supplies and other commodities among participating countries.

Tseganeh described the agreement as a major milestone, saying it demonstrates the importance of establishing cooperation proactively rather than waiting for outbreaks to occur.

For Ethiopia, he said the World Bank has pledged high-level support to strengthen disease prevention capacity, develop health infrastructure and enhance human resources.

Ethiopia’s participation as a signatory to the MoU means it will play a major role in regional health security, Tseganeh said, describing the agreement as a significant investment in disease prevention and in strengthening the capacities of other countries.

He reaffirmed the World Bank’s continued support for Ethiopia and neighboring countries in efforts to protect populations and economies from the impact of disease outbreaks.

Tseganeh said implementation of the actions outlined in the agreement would receive support from the World Bank and other partners, as reported by ENA.

The MoU signing comes as African health ministers discuss a broader continental health agenda, “A New Era of Health for Africa: United Action for Vision 2035,” which seeks to accelerate progress toward universal health coverage and strengthen health security across the continent.