Today, guided by the principles of equity, security, and resilience, African and European delegates reaffirm their wide-ranging partnership on health as part of their annual high-level steering meeting, laying the groundwork for deeper cooperation ahead of the AU-EU Summit in Luanda, Angola (November 24-25, 2025) and marking the next phase in the broader 25-year AU-EU collaboration (#AUEU25).
The high-level steering meeting on the AU-EU Health Partnership brings together key continental, regional, and national stakeholders, including an expected 30 delegates representing 15 countries and 11 continental institutions. The meeting is hosted by South Africa’s Ministry of Health at the Faculty of Health Science at the University of Pretoria and is co-chaired by H.E. Amma Twum-Amoah, AU Commissioner of Health, Humanitarian Affairs, and Social Development of the African Union Commission; H.E. Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director General of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention; Mr. Martin Seychell, Deputy Director-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA), European Commission; and Ms. Heidy Rombouts, Director-General for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid, Belgium Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, and Development Cooperation.
“The AU-EU Health Partnership is more than a collaboration; it is a shared commitment to health security and health sovereignty,” states Dr. Jean Kaseya, Africa CDC Director General. “Health sovereignty means a reformed global health architecture that centers countries and recognizes regional entities, sustainable health financing, data sovereignty, African manufacturing of health products, and of course, strong pandemic preparedness and response systems. Together, we can make this a reality.”
The overarching objectives of today’s meeting are ensuring strategic alignment, informing and building consensus on health priorities and identifying areas of convergence around global health architecture and health financing. Specifically, Africa and Europe reaffirm their commitment to advancing Universal Health Coverage through sustainable, country-led health financing and building on Africa’s leadership, the joint roadmap set by the Lusaka Agenda, the Seville Financing for Development Conference, the “Accra reset,” and the AU-EU Innovation Agenda. Together, both continents are charting a new era of global health diplomacy — one that strengthens domestic investment, promotes equity, and ensures resilient health systems for all.
“Health is central to the ambitions of Africans and Europeans,” states H.E. Ambassador Javier Niño Pérez, Head of Delegation of the European Union to the African Union. “Ahead of the AU-EU Summit in Luanda, we share the commitment to keep health high on the global agenda in alignment with the European Union’s Global Gateway strategy. No one is healthy unless everyone is healthy. The European Union will continue to be a reliable partner to Africa, also in this domain.”
Since 2021, Africa and Europe have accelerated their partnership on health through five interconnected thematic areas: manufacturing and access to vaccines, medicines and health technologies (MAV+); sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR); sustainable health security using a “One Health” approach (HSOH); digital health for health systems strengthening and universal health coverage (DH); and support for public health institutes (PHI). This work builds on the trusted clinical research partnership between Africa and Europe (Global Health EDCTP3) that has been running since 2004. The multilateral and mutually beneficial approach to tackling health issues is delivering results, including stronger regulatory systems at the continental and national levels and the delivery of Team Europe donations of mpox vaccine doses to address the outbreak in Africa. Together, the two continents are working to ensure that all Africans can access safe, effective, and affordable medicines and vaccines quickly. (See Annex 2 for more examples of achievements so far.)
Looking ahead, delegates foresee a number of potential key milestones in the cross-continental partnership related to global health diplomacy, strengthening the collaboration, and joint coordination of key initiatives, including:
- Launching additional twinning between African and European public health institutions, including collaboration between continental disease control institutions for wastewater surveillance at airports and ports in Africa (Africa CDC-DG HERA), starting the 2nd phase of the ECDC-Africa CDC partnership, and building on the partnership between the continental regulatory agencies (AMA-EMA)
- Launching a new program with Africa CDC to support capacities for prevention, detection, and control of AMR and development of a “One Health” workforce
- Increasing digitization of primary health care in four additional countries and launching a regional program for public health institutes in 10 countries
- Kicking off continental and regional pooled procurement of medicines and vaccines, including a focus on sexual and reproductive health (SRH) commodities, through the African Pooled Procurement Mechanism (APPM) and Regional Economic Communities
- Supporting African manufacturers in receiving the first African Vaccines Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA) payments for locally produced vaccines
- Convening the Pharmaceutical and Pricing Reimbursement Information Network in Africa (PPRI Africa) to bring together public authorities in Europe and Africa to learn about pricing and reimbursement policies and to benchmark implemented mechanisms
- Implementing harmonized sub-regional SRHR scorecards for the regional economic communities EAC, SADC, and ECOWAS/WAHO to track services, legal reforms, and gender-based violence, guiding AU-EU dialogue
- Increasing access to finance through innovative mechanisms like the continental blended finance facility and the Human Development Accelerator (HDX) supported by the EU in partnership with the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Gates Foundation
“This meeting shows how far the strategic partnership between African Union, Africa CDC and the European Union has come,” states Heidy Rombouts, Director-General for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid, Belgium Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, and Development Cooperation. “Together, there is a strong willingness and commitment to continue building on the AU-EU Global Health Partnership’s foundations and to develop even more mutually beneficial partnerships in health. It has been an honor for Belgium to co-chair these fruitful discussions alongside our African and European partners.”
Africa and Europe will take this momentum forward to the AU-EU Summit from November 24-25 in Luanda, Angola.
Africa CDC
Margaret Edwin | Director of Communication and Public Information | EdwinM@africacdc.org
Department of Health, South Africa
Foster Mohale | National Health Department Spokesperson | 0724323792 | Foster.mohale@health.gov.za
Delegation of the European Union to the African Union
Rita Fortunato Baptista | Political & Strategic Communication Officer | Rita.FORTUNATO-BAPTISTA@eeas.europa.eu
Biruk Feleke | Press & Information Officer | biruk.feleke@eeas.europa.eu
Belgium
Pierre Steverlynck | Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson | +32 471 44 06 04 | pierre.steverlynck@diplobel.fed.be
The AU-EU Health Partnership is a broad coalition working together to strengthen health systems, improve health security, and increase access to pharmaceuticals in Africa. Encompassing myriad projects and partners at the continental, regional, and country levels, the initiative is making critical contributions to ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages (SDG 3). Health is also one of the pillars of the European Union’s Global Gateway strategy, which aims to boost smart, clean and secure connections in digital, energy and transport sectors, and to strengthen health, education and research systems across the world.
The partnership benefits from coordinated implementation and focuses on five interconnected themes:
- Manufacturing and access to vaccines, medicines and health technologies (MAV+)
- Sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR)
- Sustainable health security using a “One Health” approach (HSOH)
- Digital health for health systems strengthening and universal health coverage (DH)
- Support for public health institutes (PHI)
Team Europe actors include the European Commission, the European Investment Bank, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control as well as EU Member States including Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden.
The meeting today in Pretoria is expected to bring together representatives from:
- African Union Commission
- Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC)
- African Medicines Agency (AMA)
- AUDA-NEPAD
- African Union Member States, including Angola (in its role as president of the African Union), South Africa, and Kenya
- The European Commission – DG International Partnerships, DG Health and Food Safety, DG Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority, DG for Research and Innovation, Joint Research Centre
- European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)
- European Investment Bank (EIB)
- European Medicines Agency (EMA)
- EU Member States, including Belgium (as current co-chair of the AU-EU health partnership), Denmark (as president of the Council of the European Union), the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, and Spain
Selected results of the AU-EU Partnership on Health include:
- The coordinated 2024 mpox response between Team Europe and Africa CDC to secure vaccine donations and address the mpox outbreak in Africa
- The African Medicines Regulatory Harmonisation (AMRH) Initiative successfully assessed and listed five human medicinal products with support from the European Medicines Agency and others
- The ongoing operationalization of the African Medicines Agency (AMA) and accompanying African Union Member States as they increase their regulatory capacity to ensure that their citizens can access safe and effective medicines and vaccines
- Integrating research and access from the start has delivered appropriate treatments for children against diseases such as HIV, malaria, schistosomiasis, sleeping sickness, and worm infections
- In October 2025, Ghana was the first country to launch Coartem Baby, the first malaria treatment specifically designed and approved for young infants. It has been developed through clinical trials that were led by the PAMAfrica consortium and financed by the EDCTP and Swedish SIDA. As with all products resulting from EDCTP-funded research, Coartem Baby will be provided on a largely not-for-profit basis.
- Accelerating access to new and underused maternal health medicines and improving postpartum hemorrhage management in Côte d’Ivoire, Madagascar, Nigeria, Uganda, and Zambia
- Strengthening the capacity and digital literacy of national public health institutes in Burundi, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, CAR, and Zimbabwe in collaboration with Africa CDC
- Supporting a digital continental One Health platform that enhances cross-country and cross-sector data exchange for evidence-based decision-making and improved pandemic prevention
PDF version of the Press release available
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