ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, 21 August 2026 – The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has called for a fundamental shift in how East Africa approaches healthcare, urging governments and the private sector to move from dependency to capacity by investing in local manufacturing, sustainable health financing, regional integration and the continent’s health workforce.
The call was made by IGAD Executive Secretary, H.E. Dr Workneh Gebeyehu, at the 13th East Africa Healthcare Federation Conference and International Health Exhibition, taking place from 21 to 23 August 2026 at the Adwa Victory Memorial Museum in Addis Ababa.
The conference was officially opened by H.E. Temesgen Tiruneh, Deputy Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, and brings together Health Ministers, senior government officials, private sector leaders, investors, healthcare providers, development partners, academia and innovators.
Convened under the theme “Resilience: Building the East African Health Economy,” the conference is organised by the East African Healthcare Federation and hosted by the Ethiopian Healthcare Federation in collaboration with the Government of Ethiopia through the Ministry of Health. It seeks to strengthen partnerships, mobilise investment and financing, advance regional health policy, and promote innovation and local manufacturing across East Africa.
Addressing delegates, Dr Workneh framed health sovereignty as an essential pillar of Africa’s wider sovereignty, resilience and prosperity.
“A nation that cannot heal itself cannot fully secure itself. Health sovereignty is not a luxury; it is the absolute bedrock of national sovereignty.”
Drawing on the symbolism of the Adwa Victory Memorial Museum, the Executive Secretary said the region must apply the same spirit of African self-determination to the challenge of building stronger health systems.
He challenged the long-standing perception of healthcare primarily as a social cost, arguing that it should instead be recognised as a strategic economic sector capable of generating employment, attracting investment, accelerating industrialisation and protecting human capital.
“Healthcare is a strategic, high-growth economic driver. It creates skilled jobs, attracts global investment, accelerates industrial manufacturing, and safeguards our most precious asset: our human capital.”
Dr Workneh noted that recent global shocks had exposed the vulnerabilities created by excessive dependence on external supply chains, particularly during crises when borders closed, and access to critical medical supplies became uncertain.
He therefore called for East Africa to convert these vulnerabilities into regional industrial strength by building domestic and regional capacity to manufacture, finance, and deliver essential health services.
IGAD Prioritises Scale, Integration and Resilience
The Executive Secretary outlined IGAD’s role in translating political commitment into practical regional cooperation, noting that while individual markets may face limitations of scale, their collective market potential is considerable.
IGAD is advancing this agenda through the harmonisation of regulatory frameworks to facilitate cross-border trade and allow local manufacturers to expand across the region; strengthened emergency response through coordinated crisis management and data sharing; and new approaches to sustainable health financing.
Dr Workneh highlighted the Regional Health Financing Hub, which was formed to support Member States in strengthening domestic resource mobilisation, reducing dependence on external financing and expanding engagement with capital markets.
“Our strategy is clear: not charity, but capacity. Not dependency, but dignity. Not aid alone, but industry.”
IGAD also continues to support Member States through regional health frameworks, investments in essential equipment and infrastructure, and financing mobilised through international partnerships. These interventions have included ambulances, post-exposure prophylaxis kits and ICT infrastructure, alongside broader efforts to strengthen preparedness and cross-border health cooperation.
Three Commitments for East Africa’s Health Economy
The Executive Secretary called on governments, industry, investors, and development partners to align around three priorities: invest, integrate and empower.
He urged greater long-term investment in pharmaceutical manufacturing, cold chain infrastructure, and digital health systems; the removal of regulatory and trade barriers that restrict the emergence of a unified regional health market; and stronger investment in the health workforce to retain African expertise and talent within the region.
These priorities closely align with the four pillars of the 2026 conference: excellence in health service delivery; local manufacturing and supply security; investment and health financing; and regional integration and trade.
The conference is expected to advance the Addis Ababa Declaration on the Future of East Africa’s Health Economy, a Vision 2035 roadmap for an integrated regional health economy, as well as new investment, trade, and partnership commitments.
Dr Workneh stressed that health sovereignty should not be interpreted as isolation from international partners, but rather as Africa engaging with the world from a stronger foundation of domestic capacity and self-reliance.
“Let history record that here in Addis Ababa, we chose to construct a regional economy that manufactures what it needs, finances its own care, and secures the well-being of its people.”
IGAD reaffirmed its commitment to working alongside the East African Healthcare Federation, Member States, the private sector, and development partners to build resilient health systems capable of delivering quality healthcare while strengthening regional economic transformation.
