The African Heads of State and Government on have adopted the Accra Declaration, reaffirming their commitment to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
According to the declaration adopted at the close of the two-day 20th Extraordinary Session of the African Union (AU) Assembly on Health in Accra, Ghana, the African leaders agreed to reduce preventable maternal and child deaths, tackle both communicable and non-communicable diseases, and build resilient health systems across the continent.
The declaration also commits member states to strengthening health systems, improving access to quality healthcare and achieving universal health coverage by 2030.
While pledging to strengthen primary healthcare as the foundation of resilient health systems, they also resolved to promote integrated service delivery, reinforce community participation, improve epidemic and pandemic preparedness, and invest in research, innovation and sustainable health financing.
The Summit also resolved to remove financial, structural, social and geographical barriers to healthcare, particularly for women, children, adolescents, persons with disabilities, migrants, displaced persons and other vulnerable groups.
According to local media reports, the declaration noted that Africa’s dependence on imported medical products will be reduced as the leaders are committed to accelerating the implementation of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plan for Africa, expanding regional production of medicines, vaccines and diagnostics, and fully operationalising the African Medicines Agency.
The declaration also reaffirmed the Abuja Declaration, under which African countries committed to allocating at least 15 per cent of their annual national budgets to the health sector to improve healthcare delivery for their populations, while advancing innovative financing mechanisms and reducing dependence on external funding.
Meanwhile, the AU Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, Ambassador Amma Twum Amoah, told the Summit that Africa had made significant progress in expanding access to life saving treatment, reducing AIDS related deaths and strengthening disease surveillance systems.
According to her, HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, preventable maternal and child deaths, neglected tropical diseases and the growing burden of non- communicable diseases have continued to threaten the continent’s development.
GIK/APA