The African Union's Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, Ambassador Amma Twum-Amoah, has called for African countries to diversify and sustain health financing to strengthen health systems and support the continent's long-term development.

Speaking at the African Union Extraordinary Health Summit in Accra on Tuesday, July 21, Ambassador Twum-Amoah said diversified and sustainable financing is one of the key pillars of the African Union's health transformation agenda.

"Our principal vehicle for transformation in the AU roadmap is the AU Roadmap to 2030 and beyond, sustaining the AIDS response, ensuring systems strengthening, and health security for Africa's development," she said.

She explained that the roadmap is aligned with Agenda 2063, its Second Ten-Year Implementation Plan, and the Africa Health Strategy, providing a framework to improve health outcomes across the continent.

According to Ambassador Twum-Amoah, the roadmap envisions an Africa that ends AIDS as a public health threat, controls tuberculosis, malaria, neglected tropical diseases and non-communicable diseases, prevents maternal, newborn and child deaths, responds effectively to epidemics and pandemics, and advances universal health coverage through strong primary healthcare systems.

She said the roadmap is built around seven mutually reinforcing pillars, including adolescents, children, men, women and youth; health equity and vulnerable populations; access to medicines, regulatory harmonisation and local manufacturing; health security and health system strengthening; diversified and sustainable financing; leadership, governance, community engagement and oversight; and integrated service delivery across diseases and population groups.

Ambassador Twum-Amoah said the seven pillars are designed to work together rather than as separate priorities.

"These are not seven separate agendas. They constitute one continental compact to place people, equity, resilience, and sustainability at the centre of Africa's health transformation," she said.

The African Union Extraordinary Health Summit brought together ministers, policymakers, health experts and development partners to discuss priorities for strengthening health systems, improving health security and accelerating progress towards universal health coverage across the continent.