Lusaka, Zambia – 26 August 2025
The East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA-HC) and Uniting to Combat Neglected Tropical Diseases (Uniting) have officially launched a transformative partnership aimed at accelerating progress in the fight against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) across the region. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two organisations was signed on Tuesday 26 th August 2025 on the sidelines of the 75th Session of the World Health Organization Regional Committee for Africa in Lusaka, Zambia and it marks a significant milestone in regional efforts to eliminate NTDs and strengthen health systems.
The East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA-HC) is an inter-governmental health organization that fosters and promotes regional cooperation in health among member states, who include Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Eswatini, United Republic of Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The partnership brings together ECSA-HC’s regional leadership and technical expertise with Uniting’s global advocacy and resource mobilisation capabilities. Together, the organisations will work to enhancing health system capacity, advocacy towards eliminating NTDs in the ECSA member states.
The MoU was signed by Dr. Isatou Toure, Uniting’s CEO and Dr. Ntuli A. Kapologwe, ECSA-HC’s Director General, on behalf of their respective organisations.
“We will help countries secure domestic investments, align with masterplans, and achieve elimination goals.” said Dr. Kapologwe. "This MoU responds to current realities. Funding gaps, exacerbated by USAID’s withdrawal which threaten sustainability of programs including NTD. Together with Uniting, we will pursue innovative financing and ensure delivery continues uninterrupted,” he added.
Across the African continent, incredible progress has been made, with 24 countries having already eliminated an NTD. The MOU seeks to build on this progress, by strengthening regional action and collaboration to accelerate action.
The MOU outlines five key areas of cooperation:
- Strengthening health sector capacity to reduce NTD prevalence and improve access to care.
- Promoting policy development and dissemination to support sustainable health practices.
- Mobilizing resources through strategic engagement with regional and global partners.
- Advocating for increased domestic financing for NTDs.
- Supporting implementation of harmonized health policies across Member States.
Overall, the MoU will advance high-level advocacy, peer learning forums, technical workshops, and strategic support for Member States to domesticate AU frameworks and input commitments into the Kigali Declaration Tracker.
"The MoU formalizes our collaboration and sets the stage for impactful, coordinated action over the next three years.” said Dr. Isatou Touray, Executive Director of Uniting. “We hope that this partnership supports ECSA member states to eliminate NTDs and move us all closer to attaining the goals of the WHO 2030 roadmap. NTD elimination strategies need regional collaboration for lasting success. Let this be the strengthening of our bold, united movement to end NTDs in Africa. We are stronger together.”
The MoU will guide joint efforts from August 2025 to July 2028, with both organizations committed to monitoring progress and adapting strategies to meet evolving needs.
This partnership builds on the momentum of continental initiatives and reinforces the importance of regional collaboration in achieving the global goal of ending NTDs by 2030.
