Dr. Tedros Urges Africa to End Aid Dependency and Achieve Health Sovereignty at Ibrahim Governance Weekend

At the 2025 Mo Ibrahim Foundation Governance Weekend in Marrakech, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus delivered a compelling address highlighting the urgent need for Africa to achieve health sovereignty. He emphasized that the continent’s heavy reliance on external aid has led to significant vulnerabilities, particularly evident in the wake of recent abrupt aid reductions. These cuts have resulted in critical disruptions: essential medicines remain unused in warehouses, health clinics have shut down, and healthcare workers face unemployment. Dr. Tedros pointed out that in 27 African countries, out-of-pocket expenses are the primary means of health financing, with ten nations seeing over half of their health expenditures coming directly from individuals. He called for a transformative shift towards sustainable, domestically funded health systems, urging governments to fulfill the Abuja Declaration’s commitment of allocating at least 15% of national budgets to health. This appeal aligns with the broader objectives of Agenda 2063, aiming to reduce aid dependency and build resilient health infrastructures across Africa.