Prime Minister Mwigulu Nchemba has called on African countries to move away from long-term dependence on foreign aid and build domestic capacity to finance and deliver healthcare, produce medicines and medical equipment, and develop health technologies.
Dr Nchemba said Africa's health systems would remain vulnerable unless countries invested in capabilities that could be sustained locally, rather than relying on externally funded projects that often fail to create lasting capacity.
He made the remarks on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, while representing President Samia Suluhu Hassan at the opening of the Second International Primary Health Care Conference in Arusha.
The meeting has brought together more than 2,700 participants from 27 countries to discuss ways of strengthening primary healthcare and advancing universal health coverage.
Dr Nchemba, a former Finance Minister, said the continent had for decades received assistance under the banner of capacity building without making sufficient investments in productive systems that could sustain its healthcare needs.
He urged development partners to align their support with national priorities and ensure that aid and investment contribute to long-term domestic capacity.
“Capacity building should not end with small projects that do not create lasting capacity. We need to invest in the production of medicines, medical equipment, technology and human resources,” he said.
The Prime Minister said Tanzania was already taking steps to strengthen domestic pharmaceutical production as part of efforts to reduce reliance on imports and external assistance.
He said local production would also help cushion the country against disruptions to global supply chains, which can affect the availability of essential medicines and other medical supplies.
“When we talk about primary healthcare, we should not only talk about building health facilities. We must also build the capacity of our countries to finance those services, produce what they need and use our own technologies,” Dr Nchemba said.
The government, he added, would continue investing in the health workforce by improving working conditions, constructing staff housing and increasing recruitment.
Dr Nchemba challenged participants to ensure the conference produces practical and measurable commitments, warning against allowing discussions and resolutions to end without implementation.
Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) Director-General Jean Kaseya said Africa's changing economic and political realities required a new approach to development partnerships.
“Africa in 2026 is not the Africa of 1960,” Dr Kaseya said, calling on development partners to change the way they work with African governments.
He said African countries should have greater ownership and understanding of health resources provided through development partnerships, while external financing should be aligned with national plans.
World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Director for Africa Mohammed Janabi said the continent's challenge was increasingly about implementation rather than a lack of solutions.
“The challenge is not the lack of solutions, but the courage to finance them, the discipline to implement them and the accountability to sustain them,” Professor Janabi said.
Minister of State in the President's Office—Regional Administration and Local Government (PMO-RALG), Professor Riziki Shemdoe, said the government would continue prioritising primary healthcare because it serves the largest share of the population.
He said 95.6 percent of pregnant women who give birth in Tanzania receive services at primary healthcare facilities, while 86 percent of outpatient visits at public health facilities are handled at the same level.
Of the 8,288 government-owned health facilities, 7,946, equivalent to 95.8 percent, are primary healthcare facilities.
Professor Shemdoe said the figures demonstrated why strengthening the country's frontline health system should remain a priority.
The three-day conference is focusing on sustainable financing, efficiency, quality of care, innovation, regional cooperation and strengthening health systems to withstand emergencies and other shocks.