A high-level donor roundtable at Aga Khan University in Nairobi brought together donors, policymakers, academics and development partners to discuss financing for integrated, African-led health systems ahead of the World Health Summit Regional Meeting (WHSRM) 2026. The meeting is scheduled for 27–29 April at the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON). Held under the theme “Reimagining Africa’s Health Systems,” the meeting focused on moving away from fragmented health interventions toward a more coordinated, continent-wide approach.
This three-day meeting will be hosted by the Aga Khan University, marking the second time the World Health Summit Regional Meeting is held in East Africa and only the second time in the African Continent. The World Health Summit was founded in 2009 and is regarded as one of the world’s leading platforms for global health conversations and bringing together healthcare, political and civil society leaders. In addition to the annual global meetings held in Berlin, this summit convenes regional meetings to discuss regional priorities and strengthen health diplomacy.
In the recent roundtable held at the Aga Khan University, Prof Lukoye Atwoli emphasized the significance of this regional meeting and said “this is a pivotal time in the global health landscape where things are changing rapidly, and even out here we have been having a conversation around those changes.” He added “I believe it will be a platform for us to speak for Africa about our contribution to the global health environment.”
Unlike traditional scientific conferences that operate in isolation, the world health summit regional meeting is intentionally designed as a multi-stakeholder platform. Prof Lukoye Atwoli further mentioned that, “there are tangible outcomes that are coming out of these meetings every time we hold them.”
By bringing together all relevant stakeholders, the regional meeting aims to ensure proposed solutions from this meeting are not only scientifically rigorous but also practically integrated into the region’s health systems. “Scientists will be speaking to the issues, industries will be speaking to the innovations and what they are doing, governments will be speaking about policy environment and implementation, and civil society will be holding everyone accountable,” Prof Atwoli added.
The meeting will feature eight parallel sub-themes covering the full spectrum of Africa’s health priorities, including workforce development, primary health care, quality and patient safety, women’s and children’s health, mental health, pandemic preparedness, digital health, and climate-related health risks. During the roundtable held at the Aga Khan University, the importance of centering quality of care was emphasised alongside expanded health coverage while also noting that access without quality doesn’t translate to improved health outcomes.
The meeting in Nairobi follows previous regional meetings held in Kampala, Rome, Washington DC, Melbourneand recently the one held at New Delhi in India which have helped generate new partnerships and influence policy discussions at global forums. This meeting in Kenya is set to elevate Africa’s role in shaping global health conversations further.
Beyond the meeting in April, the Aga Khan University hopes that the discussions in Nairobi will shape long-term cooperation across the continent and inform future meetings such as the World Health Assembly and the annual World Health Summit in Berlin.
