By President and CEO Mary-Ann Etiebet, M.D.
The Africa Health Agenda International Conference (AHAIC) 2025 brought together more than 1,600 global health leaders, policymakers, and advocates representing 60 countries in Kigali, Rwanda, to explore the key dynamics shaping health in Africa. In the midst of dozens of conversations in hallways, at coffee stations, and around the dinner table, I had the privilege of participating in panel discussions on sustainable financing for health, noncommunicable disease prevent and control, and gender equity, as well as seeing the Vital team in action during our workshop on mobilizing youth action.
Here are my key takeaways:
The Pathway to Sustainable Health Lies Through Investing in Prevention
One of the most urgent messages from the conference was the need to shift from reactive healthcare to proactive health promotion and prevention strategies. As Dr. Githinji Gitahi, Group Chief Executive Officer, AMREF Health Africa put it, “We can afford health but not healthcare.”
Similarly, Rwanda’s Minister of Health, Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana, reminded us that “Health is made at home, not in hospitals.” This resonated with me—true health solutions must focus on prevention and early intervention to drive better outcomes and reduce long-term costs. That means creating lived environments with safe streets, nutritious foods and clean air so the healthy choice becomes the easy choice.
Throughout the conference, I kept returning to one fundamental question posed by Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, the Assistant Director-General for the Division of Health Emergency Intelligence and Surveillance Systems at the World Health Organization: “Do we have the will and the courage to act decisively… and build the systems for crises of today and uncertainties of tomorrow?” This must be our guiding principle moving forward.
Financing for Health is at a Critical Juncture
I was honored to participate in the panel “What’s in it for Africa? Road to United Nations 2025 High-Level Meeting on the Prevention and Control of NCDs,” hosted by AMREF and Pfizer.
The message was clear: sustainable financing is essential to address the rising burden of NCDs. We need solutions that:
- Are guided by the data
- Follow the evidence
- Can be scaled quickly
- Have impact at scale
- Solve for today’s needs while building resilient foundations for tomorrow’s challenges
In addition, many conference participants spoke to the need to learn from the past, embed data-driven decision making, and invest in strengthening health systems so that they can support more integrated care delivery. The UN High-Level Meeting in 2025 presents a critical opportunity to mobilize commitment for addressing non-communicable diseases, the leading cause of death. To seize it, we need to coalesce around key actions, make smart investments and prioritize action.
At a panel hosted by The ONE Campaign, domestic health financing in Africa took center stage, and created an opportunity to highlight a solution already tested at scale: increasing health taxes to increase the price of tobacco, alcohol, and sugary beverages by 50%. Not only would this generate significant revenue for healthcare, but it could also save 50 million lives over the next 50 years.
These discussions on sustainable financing and policy implementation were reinforced during a roundtable dinner we hosted, which focused on leveraging public health systems for the African climate-health agenda. A key takeaway was that while we have the data to act, we must also strengthen the data-to-policy process—including effective communication—to build political will and drive meaningful change.
Youth-Led Solutions Can Turn Awareness into Action
My most inspiring moments at AHAIC occurred during the workshop “Mobilizing Youth Action: Bridging the Gap Between Awareness and Prevention,” hosted by the Vital Strategies team in collaboration with Y-ACT Youth in Action. The energy in the room was palpable—young advocates brought passion, insight, and bold ideas to the table.
Now, the challenge is to make sure this momentum leads to real, sustained youth engagement. We must ensure that youth voices are not only heard but also integrated into decision-making at every level.
We Must Challenge the Culture of Invisibility
During the closing plenary on “Patriarchy, Gender & Health Inequities,” I was struck by how many speakers shared stories of being made to feel invisible—whether in their workplaces, their communities, or in society at large.
This lived experience is reflected in the data. We know that nearly half of women in low- and middle-income countries lack birth registration and a legal identity, locking them out of a lifetime of rights, benefits, and services. This is unacceptable.
What rights does a legal identity give you? Watch our video to find out.
But I also left that session with a sense of hope. The conversation reinforced that, with intentionality, we can dismantle these structures of invisibility and build systems, including public health systems, that recognize support and protect everyone, everywhere.
AHAIC 2025 also celebrated the Women in Global Health award winners, recognizing outstanding young leaders who are driving change in health across Africa. I have every faith that these trailblazers, who are creating new normals every day, will lead us toward a more equitable world.
AHAIC 2025 was more than just a conference—it was a call to action. I’m looking forward to working with the Vital Strategies team and our partners around the world to answer that call.