African Health Ministers Meet in Zambia for WHO’s 75th Regional Committee’s Annual Conference

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja 

Health ministers from 47 African countries will gather in Lusaka, Zambia, from August 25 to 27, 2025, for the 75th Session of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Committee for Africa. 
A statement by WHO’s regional office said the annual gathering is the organisation’s highest decision-making body in the African region and plays a critical role in shaping regional health priorities, policies, and investment decisions.
“The session will bring together over 500 delegates, including WHO’s Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus; WHO’s Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Mohamed Janabi; ministers of health from 47 African countries; senior government officials; UN agencies; civil society organisations, and development partners,” it said. 
Some of the highlights of the August meeting include: a Walk the Talk five-kilometre walk expected to be held on the eve of the 75th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa.
The walk is expected to promote physical activity and healthy lifestyles.
Also, the ministers will further discuss a regional framework for accelerating the implementation of the global oral health action plan: Addressing oral diseases as part of non-communicable diseases towards universal health coverage by 2030.
The meeting will endorse the framework to advance universal access to safe, effective, and quality-assured blood products in the WHO African Region: 2026–2030, designed to strengthen every link in the blood supply chain – from modernising laboratories and storage facilities, to training health workers and inspiring more voluntary blood donors.
“This new roadmap, aligned with the 2023–2030 global plan, seeks to integrate oral health into primary care, strengthen workforce innovation, improve research and surveillance, and make essential oral services accessible to all by 2030.
“The framework aims for at least 50% of each country’s population to be entitled to essential oral health services. It also seeks to achieve a 10% reduction in the prevalence of major oral diseases, and by 2028, 60% of countries have national oral health policies with dedicated budgets and staff,” the statement added