African Health Leaders Applaud Ethiopia’s Health Advances, Call for Stronger Continental Cooperation

Addis Ababa, August 25, 2026 (FMC) — African health leaders have praised Ethiopia’s progress in healthcare and called for stronger continental cooperation to expand access to treatment, strengthen self-reliance and build more resilient health systems across Africa.

In interviews on the sidelines of the 76th Session of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for Africa in Addis Ababa, Dr. Danny Mutembe, Vice Chair of the Rwanda Healthcare Federation, said Ethiopia is demonstrating a strong commitment to improving healthcare through cooperation between the government and private sector.

He said creating an enabling environment for private-sector actors to contribute to healthcare delivery is critical to strengthening health systems, describing public-private partnership as “paramount.”

Mutembe said Ethiopia’s progress in developing healthcare institutions and strengthening regulatory capacity offers useful lessons for other African countries, pointing to the Ethiopian Food and Drug Authority as an example.

He also said Ethiopia’s expanding medical capacity could help reduce Africa’s dependence on treatment outside the continent.

Mutembe called for stronger cooperation among hospitals, pharmaceutical manufacturers and other health-sector actors to expand access to treatment within Africa and reduce the cost and burden of medical travel.

He further urged African countries to strengthen health cooperation and build greater self-reliance, saying the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the risks of depending on external systems.

Referring to the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Mutembe stressed the importance of stronger public-private collaboration and preparedness across the continent, noting that another pandemic or epidemic could emerge elsewhere.

Dr. Emmanuel Galla Lado, representing South Sudan’s private health sector, described Ethiopia’s health-sector progress as “incredible” and said the country is advancing rapidly.

He identified “strength, resilience and energy” as key qualities other African countries could learn from Ethiopia, adding that there is still considerable ground for other countries to cover.

Galla Lado also highlighted Ethiopia’s progress in pharmaceutical manufacturing, saying its growing capacity could benefit neighboring countries and reduce the need for patients to travel long distances to seek medical treatment.

Describing Ethiopia as his “second home,” the South Sudanese health-sector representative called for stronger cross-border health cooperation.

He said Ethiopia is setting a positive example for other African countries and urged countries to work across borders, support one another and grow together as nations.