Deputy Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and Chief Economist
Ms. Hanan Morsy
Opening remarks for the Ministerial Segment of the 8th Session of the AU Specialized Technical Committee on Finance, Monetary Affairs, Economic Planning, and Integration on the theme: Bridging Africa’s Health Financing Gap in a Changing Geo-Economic Context.
2nd October, 2025
Johannesburg
South Africa
Excellencies,
Honourable Ministers
Distinguished Delegates and Partners,
Ladies and Gentlemen.
It is a privilege to join you today, and I want to thank the African Union Commission for convening us, and the people and government of South Africa for their warm welcome and hospitality.
We gather at a moment of consequence. A moment when the stakes for Africa’s future could not be higher.
Since our last session, the ground has shifted beneath our feet. Health aid to Africa has fallen—by almost seventy percent—just as debt service threatens to consume a third of our revenues. Trade disruptions and rising tariffs have narrowed the space for growth. And the spirit of multilateral cooperation, on which our progress depends, has been retreating, replaced by fragmentation and insecurity.
These shocks expose the fragility of our health systems. In nearly half of our countries, families bear the largest share of health costs. In others, donor support pays for more than a third of health services. This is not sustainable. This is not security.
And so, the question before us is not whether to act, it is how boldly we are prepared to act.
Because what Africa needs is not another incremental step. What Africa needs is a transformational leap in health financing, towards systems that are sustainable, sovereign, and strong enough to weather the storms ahead.
Let me suggest three ways forward.
First, we must place health financing at the heart of global financial reform.
When the G20 meets, our message must be clear: Africa’s health security is global security. Special Drawing Rights should be channelled through the African Development Bank to unlock capital for health resilience. And the IMF’s Resilience and Sustainability Trust must become a true pillar for pandemic preparedness.
Second, we must build stronger foundations at home.
We can raise more of our own resources, through fairer taxation, smarter digital systems, and by finally closing the leaks of illicit financial flows that cost us eighty-nine billion dollars each year. That is money that belongs in Africa. That is money that belongs in our hospitals, our clinics, our communities. And we must bring the private sector in, not as an afterthought, but as a partner in building health systems that can withstand the next crisis.
Third, we must harness the power of integration.
The African Continental Free Trade Area is more than a trade pact—it is a health security pact. By pooling procurement and investing in local manufacturing, we can reduce our ninety-nine percent dependence on imported vaccines and our ninety-five percent dependence on imported health products. That is how we claim our health sovereignty. That is how we build resilience from within.
Excellencies, the truth is simple. Investing in health is not just the right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do. For every dollar invested, the return is four fold - resulting in stronger economies, in healthier communities, in futures that are more secure.
And with Africa’s population set to reach two and a half billion by 2050, with most under the age of twenty-five, closing the health financing gap is not optional. It is essential to unlocking the promise of our young people and the productivity of our continent.
So let us make this meeting a turning point and commit to transformation.
The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa stands ready—ready to walk with you, ready to support you, ready to make this vision real.
Thank you.