As African leaders gather for the African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government this week, the continent faces a defining policy moment. Amid climate shocks, humanitarian crises, demographic change, tightening fiscal space and shifting geopolitics, Africa must decide what it will prioritize to secure its prosperity, stability, and sustainable growth.

The question before leaders is not whether Africa recognizes the importance of health — it does — but whether governments, regional bodies, and partners will take the concrete decisions needed now to protect the continent’s most valuable asset: its people, especially women, children, and adolescents.

The African Union Summit must therefore move beyond reaffirming commitments to financing and implementing them at scale.

A Persistent Crisis, But a Solvable One

Africa continues to carry the heaviest global burden of preventable maternal, newborn, and child deaths, as well as stillbirths. These outcomes are not inevitable. They reflect gaps in the design and implementation of primary health care, underfunded health systems, workforce shortages, inequitable access to essential commodities, weak data systems, and suboptimal quality of care, all compounded by conflict and climate shocks.

The consequences extend far beyond the health sector. Preventable deaths erode trust in public institutions, weaken human capital, and constrain economic growth.

The good news is that evidence-based solutions already exist, and many are being tested successfully across the continent. What is needed now is political prioritization, scaled implementation, sustained domestic investment, greater efficiency, and stronger accountability.

Investing in African Women's and Children's Health as an Economic and Sovereignty Imperative

Investments in women’s, children’s, and adolescents’ health, or WCAH, including in sexual and reproductive health and rights, or SRHR, are among the highest-return investments available to governments. Healthy women participate more fully in the workforce. Healthy children learn more effectively. Healthy adolescents become the skilled workers and innovators who will drive Africa’s demographic dividend.

Yet, financing remains inadequate for investing in African women's and children's health. Many countries remain below the commitment to allocate 15% of national budgets to health, while external funding is declining and fiscal pressures are intensifying.

African leaders have called for a shift from fragmented, donor-driven financing toward coordinated, innovative, continent-led approaches anchored in the Lusaka Agenda and the recently endorsed Africa’s Health Security and Sovereignty Agenda, within the broader health sovereignty movement. This shift aims to strengthen domestic financing and build resilient health systems that protect and prioritize WCAH as a foundation for security, equity, and sustainable development.

Read the full article about investing in African women's and children's health by By Jean Kaseya, Diene Keita, Dr. Mohamed Yakub Janabi, and Rajat Khosla at Devex.