On September 24, 2026, AUDA-NEPAD convened a high-level strategy circle on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly in New York to accelerate progress against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). The event, ‘From Cost to Capital - Financing Africa's Health Sovereignty’ united global health leaders including Heads of State and Ministers of Health from across the continent, philanthropic innovators, and continental policymakers to forge a sustainable path toward eliminating these preventable conditions and driving human prosperity.
Rethinking Health Financing in Africa
As global health financing shifts, external aid grows less predictable while fiscal pressures across Africa rise. Rather than viewing healthcare funding as a recurring expense, the strategy circle highlighted the need to approach it as a long-term investment in human potential and economic stability.. Freeing vulnerable communities from debilitating diseases enables children to attend school, adults to work, and local and national economies to thrive.
Speaking at the event, AUDA-NEPAD CEO Nardos Bekele-Thomas said “Health spending is an investment in Africa’s resilience, productivity, and human capital development. Ending neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) is fundamental to unlocking continental growth.”
African-Led Leadership and Mobilization
Permanent victory over NTDs requires African-led leadership and strong sovereign health systems. Participants explored expanding domestic resource mobilization, blended finance, private investment, and innovative funding mechanisms to build economic resilience and long-term productivity across the continent.
Also speaking at the event, Guy Cave, Interim CEO of the END Fund, said “Twenty-six countries in the African continent have eliminated at least one NTD as a public health problem, despite significant challenges. This is an extraordinary African success story and proof that investment in health can produce durable social and economic returns. The next step is to embed those gains within country-owned health systems and sovereign investment frameworks…This also requires close alignment between Ministries of Health and Finance: translating health priorities into credible, investment-ready opportunities that can attract and effectively use different forms of capital.”
A Strategic MOU to Drive Impact
During the strategy circle, AUDA-NEPAD and The END Fund signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The partnership will focus on mobilizing resources, strengthening country-led implementation, advancing policy dialogue, and promoting knowledge exchange across Member States, philanthropic organizations, and civil society.
By transforming the NTD response from a reliance on short-term aid into a strategic investment in domestic capital, the outcomes of this strategy circle signal a defining shift toward African health sovereignty. Through sustained political will, innovative financing, and cross-sectoral partnerships, the path forward promises not only the elimination of these debilitating diseases but also a healthier, more resilient, and self-reliant continent.