Kenyan Senate Speaker Urges African Scientists to Champion Homegrown Health Solutions

The Speaker of the Senate of the Republic of Kenya, Rt. Hon. Amason Jeffah Kingi, has called for bold, African-led strategies to tackle the continent’s health challenges. Speaking as Chief Guest at the Inaugural Africa Health Summit in Kampala, held under the theme “Reclaiming Africa’s Health Future: From Dependency to Sovereignty through Innovation and Solidarity”, Hon. Kingi emphasized that Africa must move beyond diagnosing problems to delivering solutions at scale.

“We must not only diagnose the challenges, but also prescribe the solutions, and most importantly, implement them,” he said, urging African scientists to innovate on African soil. He further emphasised the need for sustainable domestic health financing, highlighting opportunities through capital markets, sovereign funds, and public-private partnerships.

Delivering a keynote address, Dr. Abdourahmane Diallo, WHO Director of Programme Management, reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to building sovereign and sustainable health systems across Africa. His message was clear:

“Africa’s health systems must be designed, led, and owned by Africa. If we can transform a hospital, we can transform a continent. If we can save one life, we can inspire millions.”

Dr. Diallo called on leaders to create enduring systems, thriving communities, and lasting solutions.

Uganda’s Minister of Health, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, underscored the importance of strengthening health systems to ensure accessibility, equity, and quality, both for primary healthcare and specialized services. She emphasized community engagement as a cornerstone for informed health decisions and advocated for widespread dissemination of health information.

The summit brought together high-level delegates, including Uganda’s Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Thomas Tayebwa, and Minister of Science and Technology, Hon. Monica Musenero, alongside representatives from Somalia, Sudan, Rwanda, Ethiopia, and Kenya, policymakers, researchers, health professionals, private sector actors, civil society, and development partners. It served as a continental platform for strategic dialogue, showcasing African-led innovations and generating actionable commitments to advance health sovereignty, resilience, and equity.

The event concluded with the Heroes in Health Award, Uganda’s flagship recognition platform, established in 2019 to celebrate individuals, institutions, innovations, services, products, and programs that make outstanding contributions to healthcare delivery and outcomes in Uganda.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Health Organization – Uganda.