The African Union (AU) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria have formalized a new partnership through a memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at strengthening Africa’s health systems and accelerating the fight against AIDS, TB, and malaria. The agreement underscores their shared commitment to supporting African countries in achieving health security, sustainable development, and greater domestic resource mobilization. It also builds on ongoing regional efforts to align health priorities with broader development and resilience objectives.
The collaboration reaffirms the AU and Global Fund’s long-standing partnership and is closely aligned with key continental frameworks, including the AU Catalytic Framework to End AIDS, TB and Eliminate Malaria by 2030, the African Health Strategy 2030, and the newly adopted Roadmap to 2030 & Beyond. Together, these strategies emphasize data-driven accountability, systems strengthening, and health security as central pillars of Africa’s development agenda.
AU Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, H.E. Amb. Amma Adomaa Twum-Amoah, said the renewed partnership represents a major step toward sustainable domestic health financing and the effective delivery of continental priorities. She highlighted that the initiative would foster digital innovation, improve health infrastructure, and promote resilient, inclusive systems capable of addressing the continent’s long-term needs.
Echoing this commitment, Global Fund Executive Director Peter Sands emphasized that the agreement strengthens collaboration under African leadership to address urgent health challenges — from pandemics and epidemics to the growing threats posed by climate change. He noted that the partnership supports the creation of equitable, sustainable healthcare systems capable of responding to both current and emerging crises.
Under the MoU, key areas of cooperation include joint implementation of the AU Roadmap to 2030 & Beyond, advancing domestic health financing reforms through partnerships with AUDA–NEPAD and regional organizations, integrating digital innovation and community health systems into national strategies, and mobilizing global support for the Global Fund’s Eighth Replenishment. The agreement also prioritizes coordinated action against emerging health threats and drug resistance.
This new phase of cooperation builds on the 2019 African Leadership Meeting (ALM) – Investing in Health Declaration, which spurred progress toward increasing domestic investment in health. Since 2022, 12 countries across Eastern, Western, and Southern Africa have convened national dialogues to strengthen political commitment and financing for health, marking a steady shift toward greater self-reliance and accountability in Africa’s health development.
