Chairman Dr. Demby Convenes African Health Ministers Breakfast Meeting

At the Seventy-fifth Session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa (RC75), Dr. Austin Demby, in his capacity as Chairman of the Global Financing Facility (GFF) Ministerial Network and Sierra Leone’s Minister of Health, hosted a crucial breakfast meeting with fellow African Health Ministers at the Radisson Blu Hotel.

The gathering served as an important platform to welcome new members into the Ministerial Network, a GFF-supported initiative designed to foster peer support, facilitate the sharing of experiences among ministers, and collectively influence the strategic direction of the GFF. 

A primary focus of the session was to cultivate collective leadership aimed at enhancing the health outcomes for women, children, and adolescents, particularly as the GFF approaches the finalization of its upcoming five-year strategy for 2026–2030.

Key discussions revolved around several critical areas:

• Ministers explored avenues for exchanging insights and providing guidance on the GFF’s evolving strategic priorities, acknowledging the rapidly shifting landscape of global health financing.

• Updates were provided on extensive consultations conducted across 33 GFF partner countries and during the World Health Assembly, which consistently highlighted the importance of country ownership, the effective alignment of external financing, and robust domestic resource mobilization.

• The meeting also delved into disruption analyses, a vital tool to help countries navigate potential funding cuts and safeguard essential health services for vulnerable populations, including women, children, and adolescents.

Dr. Demby underscored the vital role of the Ministerial Network in ensuring that the voices of ministers directly shape the GFF strategy. 

He emphasized the collective voice of the ministers as essential to protecting progress and guaranteeing that women, children, and adolescents are not marginalized.

The session concluded with a strong reaffirmation of the ministers’ commitment to championing the GFF’s mission, actively mobilizing resources, and strengthening resilience in the ongoing pursuit of universal health coverage across the continent.