In a significant gathering aimed at reshaping the future of continental healthcare, the Regional Manager for the North-West Region and Service Delivery Manager of the Planned Parenthood Association of Sierra Leone (PPASL), participated in the pivotal Global Health Reform Africa Regional Dialogue. The high-level forum was convened in the Rwandan capital from the 3rd to the 5th of November, 2025.
The dialogue served as a comprehensive platform, uniting a diverse coalition of representatives from all 54 African nations. This included senior government officials, private sector leaders, civil society organizations, frontline medical practitioners, youth advocates, and academic researchers. The primary objective was to forge a cohesive and powerful African mandate for the reform of the existing Global Health Architecture (GHA).
A resounding theme throughout the three-day proceedings was the continent’s collective assertion of its agency. The discussions deliberately shifted the focus from the traditional narrative of how global health institutions engage with Africa, to a more assertive and forward-looking agenda centered on how Africa itself will engage with and lead in global health. Participants unanimously articulated that the continent is no longer willing to be managed under frameworks designed externally without its central involvement.
The consensus that emerged called for a fundamental rebalancing of the global health system—a system that must be redesigned to genuinely reflect Africa’s unique realities, harness its latent capacities, and fulfil its burgeoning ambitions. This represents a profound evolution in Africa’s role, transitioning from being a recipient of policies and aid to being recognized as a co-architect of a more equitable and inclusive global health order.
The collective aspiration crystallizing from the Kigali Dialogue is for a future where the Global Health Architecture formally acknowledges Africa as a dynamic producer of health solutions, a capable custodian of its own resources and data, and an indispensable, equal partner at the highest levels of global health decision-making. The participation of PPASL’s manager underscores the critical role that national-level service delivery organizations play in bringing grounded perspectives to this continental strategic reform.
