By Monica Kayombo,Zambia, Lusaka,
The World Health Summit (WHS) has warned that sudden cuts in development assistance for health are unacceptable, urging African countries to strengthen domestic financing without disrupting essential services, particularly primary healthcare.
The Summit says the transition from donor-dependent health systems to sustainable domestic financing must be gradual and predictable to protect vulnerable populations and advance health sovereignty.
In responses to press questions addressed to WHS President Axel Pries and shared by Senior Communications Manager Marie Wolf, the Summit said primary healthcare should remain a national budget priority because it is among the most cost-effective investments in health.
“Moving away from donor dependence is necessary since it is the basis for health sovereignty and an improvement of health services in line with local needs and conditions,” the response stated.
“But this requires time and the sudden cuts seen right now are not acceptable.”
The position comes as African governments face pressure to assume greater responsibility for healthcare financing amid constraints on traditional development assistance.
For Zambia, which recently signed a US$1.5 billion health agreement with the United States covering five years, the challenge is to increase domestic ownership while maintaining services for people who depend on public healthcare.
The WHS said it was not a party to the agreement and would not comment on its specific terms. However, it outlined safeguards that should guide financing transitions, including predictable funding schedules, measurable increases in domestic financing, protection of essential services and independent monitoring to identify funding gaps before patients are affected.
It said primary healthcare, maternal healthcare, and HIV, tuberculosis and malaria prevention and treatment must be explicitly protected.
International partners, the Summit added, should make their commitments predictable and sustainable while aligning support with countries’ own health plans.
The Summit also called for stronger African capacity to produce vaccines, medicines and other health technologies, saying the COVID-19 pandemic and recent reductions in development assistance had demonstrated the risks of relying heavily on external suppliers.
It said greater local production would strengthen health security and enable countries to tailor supplies to their populations’ needs.
However, the WHS cautioned that health sovereignty did not mean every country had to manufacture every medicine independently.
IInstead, African countries should pursue regional manufacturing hubs, specialisation and integrated production networks supported by reliable partnerships.
European countries, including Germany, were urged to support technology transfer, research collaboration, skills development and knowledge sharing through equitable partnerships.
Innovation must benefit African populations
The Summit warned that advances in artificial intelligence (AI), digital health and medical technology could deepen inequalities if their benefits remained concentrated in wealthy countries.
It said equity must guide the development, testing, pricing and deployment of new technologies, which should be designed for healthcare settings with different levels of resources.
AI models, the Summit added, should be developed and validated using data that adequately represent African populations, women and children to reduce bias and unequal health outcomes.
It also called for greater support for African innovators, noting that practical digital health solutions, including mobile health tools, had emerged from the continent.
Climate finance should strengthen health systems
On climate change, the WHS said climate financing should support health-system resilience but complement, rather than replace, existing health financing.
It encouraged countries such as Zambia to develop investment-ready projects based on national climate and health adaptation plans, including climate-resilient health facilities, early-warning systems linking climate and disease data, and reliable water and energy supplies for clinics.
Closer cooperation between health and environment ministries could help governments prepare proposals for international climate funding, while climate funds should simplify access and recognise health resilience as a core adaptation priority.
“Resilience means preparing before a disaster, not responding after it,” the response stated.
Data sovereignty and national ownership
The Summit also stressed the need for strong national data protection laws, research oversight and clear agreements governing cross-border access to health data and biological samples.
While declining to comment on specific provisions of the Zambia–US agreement, it said individuals’ privacy rights must be respected and countries must have a meaningful say in how their data and samples are used.
The WHS said international research cooperation remained essential for disease surveillance and developing health solutions, but countries needed clear rules on data use, benefit-sharing and publication.
It also called for investment in national research infrastructure and expertise so local scientists could lead studies rather than merely supply data to external institutions.
The Summit favoured multilateral mechanisms coordinated through the World Health Organization (WHO) to support transparency, equitable access and fair benefit-sharing.
On health partnerships more broadly, it said national priorities must guide investment, while external partners should strengthen local institutions, health workforces and service-delivery systems.
The WHS said sustainable partnerships required mutual accountability and a shared commitment to national health goals, adding that greater domestic ownership must be achieved without undermining access to essential healthcare.
Prof. Axel Pries. World Health Summit President
