By Hope
Mafaranga
An
agreement signed during the UN General Assembly will support country-led
programmes, resource mobilisation and stronger political commitment to end
NTDs.
NEW YORK,
24 September 2026 – Today, the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD)
and the END Fund signed a memorandum of understanding establishing a strategic
partnership to accelerate the control and elimination of neglected tropical
diseases (NTDs) across African Union Member States.
The
agreement was signed on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General
Assembly, during a high-level strategy circle convened by AUDA-NEPAD in
collaboration with partners of the Programme for Investment and Financing in
Africa’s Health (PIFAH). The event, From Cost to Capital: Financing Africa’s
Health Sovereignty, brought together heads of state, ministers of health and
finance, regional and multilateral institutions, development finance
institutions, philanthropic organisations and private-sector leaders.
The strategy circle responded to a rapidly changing global health financing environment, as reductions in development assistance, fiscal pressures and shifting geopolitical priorities reshape the resources available to African health systems. Against this backdrop, participants considered how Africa can move beyond treating health spending solely as a cost and instead invest in better health as a foundation for greater resilience, productivity, development and long-term prosperity. The discussion also examined opportunities to expand domestic resource mobilisation, innovative and
blended finance, private
investment and other sustainable financing mechanisms.
Guy Cave, Interim CEO of the END Fund with Nardos Bekele-Thomas, CEO of AUDA-NEPAD at the MOU signing
Guy Cave,
Interim CEO of the END Fund, participated in a panel discussion during the
strategy circle, where he addressed what has fundamentally changed in global
health financing and what this requires from Africa, with a particular focus on
protecting and accelerating progress against NTDs.
“Today’s
MOU signing formalises our shared commitment to African ownership, country
leadership and sustainable financing for the elimination of neglected tropical
diseases,” said Guy Cave. “This partnership comes at a critical moment, as
African leaders and their partners confront a fundamentally different global
health financing reality. The END Fund is
honored to work alongside AUDA-NEPAD and partners across the continent
to mobilise resources, strengthen country-led programmes and accelerate
Africa’s extraordinary progress towards ending NTDs.”
Through
the agreement, AUDA-NEPAD and the END Fund will work together to develop
strategic partnerships and mobilise resources for NTD programmes, strengthen
country-led implementation, and advance policy dialogue and high-level
advocacy. The partnership will also promote knowledge exchange, evidence
generation and coordination among Member States, regional institutions,
philanthropic organisations, technical agencies and civil society.
Said
Nardos Bekele-Thomas, CEO of AUDA-NEPAD, “Health is not a cost to be managed,
but an investment in Africa’s resilience, productivity and prosperity. Today’s
strategy circle highlighted the need to mobilise more sustainable and
innovative financing, strengthen country-led systems and build the partnerships
needed to translate this agenda into action. Our agreement with the END Fund is
a practical expression of that shared commitment, bringing our respective
strengths together to help sustain and accelerate Africa’s progress towards
ending NTDs.”
The
agreement builds on extraordinary progress against NTDs across Africa.
Twenty-six countries on the continent have now eliminated at least one NTD as a
public health problem. Several have achieved multiple eliminations, including
Ghana, which has eliminated three NTDs, and Togo, which has eliminated four –
the first country globally to achieve this milestone.
However,
shifting global financing conditions threaten to slow or reverse these gains.
Innovative and sustainable financing, integrated systems and continued
political leadership will be critical to protect progress and achieve the
targets of the World Health Organization’s road map on NTDs.
The
strategy circle and the new AUDA-NEPAD–END Fund partnership reflect the growing
recognition that sustainable health progress will require new models of
cooperation, African-led investment priorities and coordinated action across
governments, regional bodies, donors, philanthropy, civil society and the
private sector. By bringing together continental political leadership,
country-led action and catalytic financing, the partnership will help translate
shared ambition into measurable progress towards the elimination of NTDs.
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