President Samia Suluhu Hassan has urged African countries to increase domestic investment in healthcare, saying stronger local financing is key to building resilient health systems and reducing the continent's dependence on imported medicines and external funding.
Addressing the African Union (AU) Special Summit of Heads of State and Government on Health in Accra on Wednesday, President Samia said Africa has the capacity to transform its health sector but requires sustained political commitment, increased domestic resource mobilisation and stronger regional cooperation.
The summit reviewed progress on the AU's health agenda, with discussions focusing on universal health coverage, equitable access to healthcare, HIV/AIDS elimination, maternal and child health, and the growing burden of non-communicable and neglected tropical diseases.
Tanzania, she said, has integrated the African Union Health Strategy 2030 into its 2026/27–2030/31 National Five-Year Development Plan, with priorities including expanding local pharmaceutical manufacturing, strengthening health systems and improving the country's ability to respond to public health challenges.
"Africa has the knowledge, human capital and capacity to transform its health systems. What we need now is stronger political commitment, domestic investment and continental solidarity," President Samia told the summit.
She said policy and regulatory reforms undertaken by Tanzania have helped attract investment into the pharmaceutical industry, leading to the establishment of 13 medicine manufacturing plants, while 149 investors have expressed interest in investing in the sector.
The President also noted that the Tanzania Medicines and Medical Devices Authority (TMDA) became the first medicines regulator in Africa to attain the World Health Organization's Maturity Level 3, a milestone expected to strengthen local pharmaceutical production and improve access to quality medicines.
President Samia said government spending on healthcare has increased from TZS 1.8 trillion in the 2024/25 financial year to TZS 3.1 trillion in 2026/27.
She added that the introduction of universal health insurance is intended to expand access to essential healthcare services, particularly for low-income households.
According to the President, the increased investment has supported the construction of 119 district hospitals, 649 health centres and more than 2,700 dispensaries, raising the number of health facilities nationwide from about 10,000 to 13,700 by March 2026.
She said the expansion of health infrastructure has been accompanied by improvements in key health indicators, with deliveries taking place in health facilities rising from 65 percent to 86 percent and births attended by skilled health personnel increasing from 66 percent to 85 percent.
The country has also recorded a decline in under-five mortality from 147 to 43 deaths per 1,000 live births and a reduction in maternal mortality from 556 to 104 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to the President.
Opening the summit, Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama said shrinking global health financing should prompt African countries to strengthen domestic investment and build self-reliant health systems.
Mahama also pledged support for President Samia in her role as the African Union Champion for Reproductive, Maternal and Child Health, saying her leadership could help accelerate progress in the sector.
African Union Chairperson and Burundi President Évariste Ndayishimiye called on member states to increase investment in primary healthcare and strengthen the continent's capacity to prevent, detect and respond to disease outbreaks.
World Health Organization Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the summit's resolutions would only have an impact if matched by implementation, while African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf urged member states to accelerate the development of Africa's pharmaceutical manufacturing value chain to improve access to medicines, vaccines and medical supplies.
