East Central and Southern Africa Health Community - ECSA HC

20/11/2025

20/11/2025

𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗗𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗘𝗖𝗦𝗔-𝗛𝗖 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀!

Permanent Secretaries, Directors, Ambassadors and regional health experts from 12 countries convened in Lusaka, Zambia, for the Global Health Diplomacy Workshop. This workshop was convened by ECSA HC in collaboration with World Health Organization, and EQUINET, funded by the The World Bank.

Theme: “Leveraging the Pandemic Agreement, the Revised IHR (2005), and the Right to Health to Advance Africa's Agenda.”

ECSA-HC is driving regional cooperation to ensure Africa's priorities lead global discussions on the Pandemic Agreement and the Revised IHR (2005).

↘️Then, the moment came for a big announcement.🔥A new Health Diplomacy short course is coming soon, in collaboration with the University of Memphis School of Public Health, as announced by the ECSA-HC Director General Dr. Ntuli Kapologwe. This programme will target lower- to mid-level professionals across both health and non-health sectors, helping to build a strong foundation in global health diplomacy across all cadres.

▶️More information to be shared as preparations progress.
-HC

20/11/2025

𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗧𝗼 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗔𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 (𝗔𝗠𝗥) 𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝗮𝘀𝘁, 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮

A strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been formalized between the East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA-HC) and ReAct Africa, on the sidelines of the 3rd Regional Advisory Committee Meeting in Lusaka, Zambia.

The move symbolizes a concrete commitment to confront Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), a public health threat that affects development, security, and our healthcare systems.

🎯 Why This Partnership Matters Now

AMR risks reversing decades of progress in global health. By joining forces, the two institutions bring together their comparative strengths. This synergy creates a platform to accelerate AMR response efforts, improve multisectoral coordination, and strengthen health systems resilience across the ECSA region.

ECSA-HC’s Director General Dr Ntuli Kapologwe highlighted the convening power of the institution he leads as well as the policy influence, and technical mandate to harmonize health strategies across our Member States.

ReAct Africa’s Executive Director Prof. Mirfin Mpundu, who was represented in person by Dr. Raphael Chanda in signing the MoU, highlighted the technical excellence of his institution, and the global networks, and proven community engagement models and advocacy in low and middle-income countries.

➡️ What’s Next?
The two institutions are expected to establish a Joint Action Plan, designating focal persons, and prioritizing activities for the coming year, including critical resource mobilization.

18/11/2025

The 3rd Regional Advisory Committee (RAC) Meeting kicked off today with an Opening Ceremony at Raddison Blu in Lusaka, Zambia. It’s a two-day meeting (November 18–19, 2025).

RAC is a strategic governance and oversight body for the Health Emergency Preparedness, Response and Resilience (HEPRR) Multiphase Programmatic Approach (MPA) Project, funded by the World Bank and implemented by the East, Central and Southern African Health Community (ECSA-HC) alongside the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

🗣️ Opening Remarks Set the Tone
The meeting was officially opened by the Minister of Health for Zambia, Hon. Dr. Elijah Muchima, and featured an address by the Director General of ECSA-HC, Dr. Ntuli Kapologwe.

In his core message, Dr. Kapologwe underscored the borderless nature of health crises and the necessity of regional integration:

“𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦-𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘴—𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘢, 𝘔𝘱𝘰𝘹, 𝘌𝘣𝘰𝘭𝘢, 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦-𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘴. 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭; 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭.”

📈 Regional Progress Highlighted
While acknowledging the persistent threats, Dr. Kapologwe also pointed to significant progress and sustained momentum in the Member States:

“𝘞𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘔𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴: 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘌𝘖𝘊𝘴, 𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘴, 𝘣𝘪𝘰𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘵𝘺 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺. 𝘔𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘮 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳.”

17/11/2025

Pre-event for 3rd Regional Advisory Committee (RAC) Meeting Offers Member Countries a Chance to Share Implementation Progress and Challenges

↘️Technical teams from ECSA-HC and IGAD held key sessions today during a workshop in Lusaka Zambia, as a preliminary event for the 3rd Regional Advisory Committee (RAC) Meeting.

The workshop offered an update on the implementation progress of the World Bank-funded Health Emergency Preparedness, Response and Resilience (HEPRR) Program.

📝 The program has reported achievements, with:
1. All countries reporting progress in the implementation of the program.
2. Multisectoral coordination/one health actions.
3. Regional Collaboration.
4. Workforce development.
5. Pharmaceutical and vaccine local production initiatives.

This technical review workshop successfully set the stage for the main Meeting scheduled for November 18–19, 2025 to focus on strategic decisions, policy recommendations, and endorsing the program's learning agenda.

🎯 The workshop focused on member countries sharing their progress, achievements, and technical challenges for the HEPRR Program for Eastern and Southern Africa (AFE).

The Pre-RAC Workshop facilitated country-level progress review, discussions on harmonized standardized reporting, and alignment of technical perspectives on the HEPRR Program implementation.

15/11/2025

Next week, we convene for the 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗗𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗰𝘆 (𝗚𝗛𝗗) 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽 in Lusaka, Zambia, on November 20, 2025.

Organized by ECSA-HC and IGAD in partership the World Health Organization and EQUINET and funded by The World Bank, this event is a key side event to the 3rd Regional Advisory Committee (RAC) Meeting under the HEPRR Program.

It's goal is to unlock the power of GHD in enhancing regional health security by strengthening a unified African voice, leveraging key instruments, including the Pandemic Agreement, the Revised IHRs (2005), and the Right to Health.

Senior health leaders, Permanent Secretaries, and Regional Health Diplomats, alongside key partners like WHO, Africa CDC, AU, IGAD, WTO, EAC, and SADC.

| Ntuli Kapologwe | Mohamed Mohamed | IGAD Tina Chisenga Sibusiso Sibandze

15/11/2025

𝗘𝗖𝗦𝗔-𝗛𝗖 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗭𝗡𝗣𝗛𝗜 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗧𝗼 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆

↘️A high-level delegation from ECSA-HC, led bcy Director General Dr. Ntuli Kapologwe, paid a courtesy call on the Zambia National Public Health Institute (ZNPHI) to deepen collaboration on regional health priorities.

The meeting with ZNPHI Director General, Professor Roma Chilengi, facilitated constructive bilateral discussions focusing on enhancing cross-border disease surveillance, early detection, preparedness, and emergency response mechanisms across the region.

A key highlight was the acknowledgment of ZNPHI’s specialized and expanding capacity in genomic sequencing. As Dr. Kapologwe underscored, this advanced capability is indispensable for providing the evidence base needed to guide effective decisions during public health emergencies in the Africa region.

Dr. Kapologwe expressed his appreciation for Zambia’s significant advancements in health security, emphasizing that this visit is integral to the ongoing efforts to boost cooperative frameworks necessary for managing shared cross-border health risks and disease threats.

⏹️This engagement establishes a mutual commitment of ECSA-HC and ZNPHI to foster a resilient and harmonized approach to public health in East, Central, and Southern Africa.

14/11/2025

14/11/2025

⏹️The Ministry of Health- Zambia has announced the Third Regional Advisory Committee (RAC) Meeting for the World Bank-funded Health Emergency Preparedness, Response and Resilience (HEPRR) program which is due in Lusaka, November 18-20, 2025. Making the announcement Dr. Kennedy Lishimpi, Permanent Secretary (Technical Service) of the Ministry of Health, Zambia, flanked by the Director General of ECSA-HC Dr.Ntuli Kapologwe and his delegation.

▶️This key meeting, organised in partnership with IGAD and ECSA-HC aims to strengthen health system resilience and collaboration across Eastern and Southern Africa, and is a major step towards regional health security!

14/11/2025

🤝 𝗘𝗖𝗦𝗔-𝗛𝗖 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝘆 𝗠𝘄𝗮𝗻𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘀𝗮 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗭𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗮

↘️The East, Central and Southern African Health Community (ECSA-HC) Director General Dr. Ntuli Kapologwe, accompanied by the Acting Director of Programs Dr Tina Chisenga today paid a curtesy visit to the Levy Mwanawasa Medical University (LMMU) in Lusaka, Zambia.

▶️During the visit, the ECSA-HC leaders met with the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sekelani Banda, and Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Laston Chikoya (who is also President of COSECSA). The discussion focused on ways to strengthen collaboration between the two institutions.

In a positive step forward, ECSA-HC and LMMU agreed to take steps to formalize and deepen partnership. This is expected to build on LMMU’s vital support for institutions like COSECSA and identify opportunities to work together on mutually beneficial programs in areas such as research and innovation.

14/11/2025

𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗗𝗶𝗮𝗯𝗲𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗗𝗮𝘆 | 𝟭𝟰 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿

🩸 📟 Today, ECSA-HC joins the global community in raising awareness on diabetes, a growing public health challenge affecting millions across our region.

As part of our mandate, ECSA-HC continues to champion Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) by supporting Member States to strengthen prevention, early detection, and quality care for diabetes and other NCDs.

Through evidence-based policies, regional collaboration, and capacity-building, we work to advance healthier, more resilient communities.

Let’s unite for better health and a diabetes-free future.

13/11/2025

𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 As 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗸𝗶𝗰𝗸𝘀 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗶𝗻 𝗭𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗮, 𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗘𝗖𝗦𝗔-𝗛𝗖 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜𝗚𝗔𝗗.

↘️The Regional Meeting of Community of Practice under the World Bank- funded Health Emergency Preparedness, Response and Resilience Program (HEPRRP) for Eastern and Southern Africa (AFE) has officially begun today, November 13, 2025, in Lusaka, Zambia!

The meeting was officially opened by the Director General of the East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA-HC), Dr. Ntuli Kapologwe.

The three-day regional health security engagement facilitated by ECSA-HC and IGAD, focuses on reviewing 2025 performance reports under the HEPRRP framework, finalizing the Research & Learning Agenda, adopting a Knowledge Management platform, reviewing pilots of the PoE Digital Screening and Cross-Border Early Warning Surveillance (EBS) network, and finalizing the 2026 technical assistance roadmap for comprehensive digital health scale-up, including PoE deployment and digital SLIPTA rollout.

🌍 Countries in attendance include Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe (STP), Zambia

The HEPRRP aims to strengthen health system resilience and multisectoral preparedness and response to health emergencies in Eastern and Southern Africa.