The Minister of Health of the Republic of Liberia, Dr. Louise Mapleh Kpoto, has called on African nations to build stronger and more resilient health systems, urging member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) African Region to unite in confronting the continent’s pressing health challenges. The Minister of Health, Dr. Louise Mapleh Kpoto, is accompanied by Dr. Catherine T. Cooper, Deputy Minister/Chief Medical Officer R.L., and members of the County Health officials.
Delivering her remarks at the 75th Regional Committee Meeting (RC75) of the WHO African Region in Lusaka, Zambia, on August 25, 2025, Dr. Kpoto congratulated the newly elected WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Mohamed Yakub Janabi, describing the election as a “resounding reflection of the trust and confidence that African member states have in your leadership capacity.”
She commended the new Regional Director’s vision and policy agenda, which she said offered a pragmatic and forward-looking roadmap to transform health outcomes across the continent. “Your vision in advancing public health in our region, and your manifestos which lay out a clear and pragmatic roadmap for transforming health outcomes in Africa, are more visionary and deeply rooted in the realities we face as African countries,” Dr. Kpoto declared.
She underscored that Liberia and other member states were particularly encouraged by the alignment between the new leadership’s strategies and their respective national health agendas. “Your focus on health system resilience, particularly primary healthcare revitalization, emergency preparedness, equity, and local interventions, resonates strongly with our collective aspirations,” she noted, adding that such priorities will be critical in accelerating progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Universal Health Coverage (UHC), and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
Speaking in her capacity as Acting Chair of the RC74, Dr. Kpoto urged the new leadership to embrace the “spirit of African unity and common responsibility,” warning that the continent continues to confront multifaceted challenges, including recurrent outbreaks of cholera, mpox, and other infectious diseases, coupled with long-standing gaps in health financing and service delivery. “It is only by working together across sectors and borders that we can build resilient, people-centered health systems that our populations need and deserve,” she emphasized.
The Health Minister cautioned that shifts in the global development landscape were also affecting Africa’s progress in preventive healthcare. She pointed to disruptions in child immunization programs, challenges in combating preventable diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and malaria, and the growing struggle to secure sustainable financing for essential services. “The shrinking donor envelope and shifting geopolitical priorities continue to affect our ability to sustainably finance essential health services and scale up innovation,” Dr. Kpoto warned. “Addressing this situation requires innovative approaches to increasing health financing, building stronger partnerships, and ensuring greater efficiency in resource mobilization and utilization. We must, therefore, redefine what self-resilience and sustainability mean for Africa.” On epidemic preparedness, she stressed the importance of strengthening continental capacity in surveillance, data management, vaccination, contact tracing, risk communication, and community engagement. “Breaking the chain of transmission for disease outbreaks requires a holistic strategy, one that integrates health, environmental, and intergovernmental approaches,” she said. “Such an approach must strengthen prevention and response systems across all sectors.”
Dr. Kpoto also highlighted the growing impact of climate change on public health, urging African governments to confront the crisis with urgency and coordinated action.
She concluded her address with a message of optimism, expressing confidence that the new WHO Regional Director will steer Africa’s health agenda toward greater resilience and sustainability. “I am confident that under this new leadership, we will rise to the occasion and confront the challenges before us with determination and solidarity,” she affirmed.
The RC75 gathering in Lusaka has brought together health ministers, policymakers, and development partners from across Africa to deliberate on health financing, system resilience, pandemic preparedness, and strategies for achieving Africa’s long-term health security.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Health, Republic of Liberia.