Asmara, Eritrea – Eritrea has made significant progress in improving the health of its population over recent decades, driven by strong national leadership, investments in primary health care and a commitment to self-reliance. In this interview, Dr Mary Stephen, WHO Representative in Eritrea, shares her perspectives on the country's health achievements, national capacity and WHO's partnership with Eritrea.

Q: Eritrea has made significant progress in health over the past decades. What do you see as some of the country's key achievements?

Kampala, Uganda - The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Mohamed Yakub Janabi, and the Director-General of Africa CDC, Dr Jean Kaseya, visited Uganda as part of a high-level joint mission to advance regional health security and promote resilient health systems across Africa. The mission included engagements with the Vice President, H.E. Maj. (Rtd) Jessica Alupo, Minister of Health Dr Chris Baryomunsi and other senior government officials. 

Blood donation is one of the simplest yet most powerful ways to save lives. Every unit of blood can help patients undergoing surgery, women experiencing complications during childbirth, accident victims, children with severe anaemia, and others in urgent need of transfusions. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) has supported Ghana’s efforts to strengthen its capacity for disease surveillance and emergency response through the provision of 205 laptop computers valued at over GHS 3 million to the Ghana Health Service (GHS) under the Pandemic Fund Project.

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | August 2026 – The Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa, will host the Seventy-sixth Session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa (RC76) in Addis Ababa from 24 to 28 August 2026.

Following two national polio vaccination campaigns and two campaigns carried out in coordination with the Republic of Namibia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in border areas, which enabled more than nine million children under the age of five to be vaccinated, Angola is translating the lessons learned into concrete actions to strengthen immunization, reach more children, and accelerate efforts towards the eradication of polio.

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | 3 August 2026 – The World Health Organization (WHO) Country Office in Ethiopia and the University of Gondar have signed a two-year Project Collaboration Agreement (2026–2027) to strengthen health financing research, institutional capacity and evidence-informed policymaking in support of Ethiopia's progress towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

Ethiopia has taken another significant step toward strengthening its public health emergency preparedness and response capacity with the graduation of 89 health professionals under the fourth cohort of the African Volunteer Health Corps (AVoHC SURGE) initiative. The training was implemented by the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) with support from the World Health Organization (WHO) and funding from the Pandemic Fund.

Mokolo, Cameroon—For five years, 29-year-old Denise lived with an obstetric fistula, a childbirth-related complication that profoundly affected her life. After undergoing surgery at the Mokolo Regional Annex Hospital in Cameroon’s Far North Region in April 2026, she is gradually rebuilding her life.

“This operation has changed my life in many ways. Today, I feel like any other woman,” says Denise.

Abuja – “We want a health system that listens to young people now, not later,” said Dr Muhammad Jafar, a young medical doctor with the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, as he addressed participants at the United Nations building in Abuja.