The Durban Promise – Moving Toward Self-Reliance to Achieve Universal Health Coverage and Health Security in Africa – Africa CDC

Report on the 4th International Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA 2025)

Context and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

The 4th International Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA 2025) was convened to address critical challenges and opportunities impacting the continent’s progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being). The conference highlighted a significant rise in public-health emergencies, compounded by decreasing external health financing and severe fiscal constraints. This situation presents a direct threat to achieving universal health coverage (UHC) and health security targets. Concurrently, South Africa’s assumption of the G20 Presidency in 2025 offers a strategic platform to champion these health priorities, reinforcing the importance of SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) in shaping a resilient global health architecture.

Conference Objective: Health Sovereignty for Sustainable Development

Under the theme “Moving Toward Self-Reliance to Achieve Universal Health Coverage and Health Security,” the conference mobilized nearly 20,000 stakeholders. The central message underscored that African health sovereignty is essential for achieving not only SDG 3 but also for driving broader economic transformation and security, which are central to SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and SDG 1 (No Poverty). The objective was to establish a unified vision for a self-reliant and resilient continent capable of meeting its health challenges.

Catalytic Priorities for Achieving Health-Related SDGs

A strategic roadmap emerged from the conference, outlining five catalytic priorities essential for advancing Africa’s health sovereignty and accelerating progress on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. These pillars provide a comprehensive framework for action:

1. African Manufacturing: This priority focuses on building local production capacity for medicines, vaccines, and health technologies. It directly supports SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) by fostering industrialization and reducing external dependency, while also contributing to job creation under SDG 8.
2. Innovative Health Financing: To counteract declining external aid, this priority calls for developing sustainable domestic financing mechanisms. This is crucial for funding UHC (SDG 3.8) and requires multi-stakeholder collaboration as envisioned in SDG 17.
3. Primary Health-Care Transformation: Strengthening primary health care is fundamental to achieving UHC and ensuring equitable access to essential services. This directly addresses targets within SDG 3 and helps advance SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) by reaching the most vulnerable populations.
4. Pandemic Preparedness and Response: Enhancing the continent’s capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to health emergencies is a core component of SDG 3.d. This involves building strong, resilient health systems and institutions, aligning with the principles of SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions).
5. Data Ownership and Governance: Establishing robust frameworks for health data governance is critical for evidence-based policymaking and accountability. This priority supports the development of effective and transparent institutions (SDG 16) and ensures that health strategies are tailored to local needs.

Conclusion: A Roadmap for Self-Reliance and Global Health Leadership

The outcomes of CPHIA 2025 define a clear and actionable roadmap. By focusing on these five interconnected priorities, the continent aims to build a self-reliant health ecosystem that not only achieves its own development aspirations but also strengthens its leadership role in global health, contributing significantly to the worldwide attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Analysis of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article primarily addresses issues related to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), reflecting the interconnected nature of public health with broader development challenges. The following SDGs are most relevant:

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being: This is the central theme of the article. The conference’s focus on achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC), health security, managing public-health emergencies, and transforming primary health care directly aligns with this goal.
• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure: The emphasis on “African Manufacturing” as a catalytic priority connects directly to this goal. The article highlights the need for the continent to build its own capacity for producing health-related goods, which involves developing resilient infrastructure, promoting industrialization, and fostering innovation.
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals: The article underscores the importance of collaboration and financial mobilization. It mentions the conference bringing together diverse stakeholders (“governments, academia, civil society, and global partnerships”) and discusses challenges like “declines in external health financing” and the need for “Innovative Health Financing,” which are core components of SDG 17.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the specific issues discussed, the following targets can be identified:

1. Under SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being):
   • Target 3.8: Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all. The conference theme, “Moving Toward Self-Reliance to Achieve Universal Health Coverage and Health Security,” and the priority of “Primary Health-Care Transformation” directly address this target.
   • Target 3.d: Strengthen the capacity of all countries, in particular developing countries, for early warning, risk reduction and management of national and global health risks. The mention of a “sharp rise in public-health emergencies” and the identification of “Pandemic Preparedness and Response” as a key priority clearly link to this target.
2. Under SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure):
   • Target 9.2: Promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and, by 2030, significantly raise industry’s share of employment and gross domestic product, in line with national circumstances, and double its share in least developed countries. The pillar of “African Manufacturing” aims to increase local production capacity, which aligns with this industrialization target.
   • Target 9.b: Support domestic technology development, research and innovation in developing countries, including by ensuring a conducive policy environment for, inter alia, industrial diversification and value addition to commodities. The goal of health sovereignty through local manufacturing implies supporting domestic innovation and technology in the health sector.
3. Under SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals):
   • Target 17.1: Strengthen domestic resource mobilization, including through international support to developing countries, to improve domestic capacity for tax and other revenue collection. The call for “Innovative Health Financing” and achieving “self-reliance” in the face of “widening fiscal constraints” points directly to the need to improve domestic funding for health.
   • Target 17.2: Developed countries to implement fully their official development assistance commitments. The article’s reference to “steep declines in external health financing” highlights the challenges related to the flow of international financial aid, making this target highly relevant.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Yes, the article mentions or implies several indicators that can be used to track progress:

• For Target 3.d (Health Emergency Preparedness): The article explicitly states there has been a “sharp rise in public-health emergencies—up over 40 percent since 2022.” This percentage increase serves as a direct, quantifiable indicator of the growing challenge. Progress would be measured by a reduction in the frequency and impact of such emergencies, which relates to Indicator 3.d.1 (International Health Regulations (IHR) capacity and health emergency preparedness).
• For Target 3.8 (Universal Health Coverage): While not a numerical indicator, the “Primary Health-Care Transformation” is mentioned as a key pillar. The extent and quality of this transformation can be measured to track progress towards UHC, which is measured by Indicator 3.8.1 (Coverage of essential health services).
• For Target 17.2 (Official Development Assistance): The article points to “steep declines in external health financing” as a major challenge. The volume and trend of external health financing for Africa can be used as a direct indicator to measure the commitment of global partners, which relates to Indicator 17.2.1 (Net official development assistance, total and to least developed countries, as a proportion of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee donors’ gross national income (GNI)).
• For Target 9.2 (Industrialization): The priority of “African Manufacturing” implies a need to measure the continent’s industrial capacity in the health sector. An implied indicator would be the proportion of essential medicines and health products manufactured locally versus those that are imported. This relates to Indicator 9.2.1 (Manufacturing value added as a proportion of GDP and per capita).

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: africacdc.org