Ethiopia has taken a significant step in strengthening its public health emergency response capacity with the successful completion of the 3rd cohort African Volunteers Health Corps - Strengthening and Utilizing Response Groups for Emergencies Corps (AVoHC-SURGE) Onboarding Training in Adama city 13th January to 13th February 2025.

Freetown, 19 March 2025 – With 115 confirmed Mpox cases in Sierra Leone, the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the National Public Health Agency (NPHA) and with support from WHO, UNICEF, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, Africa CDC, and other health partners, has launched a nationwide Mpox vaccination campaign. The launch event brought together paramount and community chiefs, civil society representatives, the media, nurses, vaccinators, senior leadership of the Ministry of Health and NPHA, and key stakeholders from the health sector. 

Ethiopia has reaffirmed its commitment to global health security by submitting its annual health security assessment, known as the State Party Self-Assessment Annual Report (SPAR), to the World Health Assembly (WHA). This mandatory report, required under Article 54 of the International Health Regulations (IHR), evaluates the country's capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to public health risks.

The Ministry of Health (MOH), with support from the World Health Organization (WHO) convened a meeting with the top leadership of Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) to discuss ways of strengthening the Ebola outbreak response in Uganda’s capital.

The World Health Organization (WHO) joined the Ministry of Health and other Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) stakeholders in Uganda to launch the 2025 National Sanitation Week under the theme "Sanitation for Dignity and Inclusiveness." The launch took place in Katanga, on the outskirts of Kampala city.

In a concerted effort led by the Ministry of Health and supported by the World Health Organisation (WHO), Angola has outlined a comprehensive strategy to eradicate Guinea worm disease (GWD). This initiative, which involves public and private institutions, national and international organizations, and civil society, aims to protect the Angolan population from this debilitating disease.

Ghana has made great strides in ensuring healthcare services are available to its citizens. However, access alone is not enough—quality matters just as much. To bridge this gap, the Ghana Health Service (GHS), with support from the World Health Organization (WHO) and funding from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (UKFCDO), launched the Quality of Care (QoC) assessment as part of the Harmonized Health Facility Assessment (HHFA).

The Ethiopian Food and Drug Authority (EFDA) and the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the World Health Organization Ethiopia country office and other key partners, has officially launched the 7th Edition of the Ethiopian Essential Medicines List (EML). This milestone underscores Ethiopia’s commitment to ensuring equitable access to safe, effective, and quality-assured medicines for all.

On the 14th of March 2025, Botswana joined the rest of the region in commemorating SADC Healthy Lifestyles Day in Goodhope under the theme: “Risk factors of today are diseases of tomorrow.”

Jos, In 2021, Mrs. Sarah Abok, a 47-year-old mother from Mangu Local Government Area (LGA) in Plateau State, Nigeria, faced a life-altering diagnosis: cervical cancer. The news struck fear into her heart, not just for her own life, but for the future of her family. “I kept thinking about what would happen to my children if I didn’t survive,” Sarah recalls. The journey that followed was gruelling, involving invasive surgery and multiple rounds of chemotherapy.