At least 14 African countries and health partners pledged over $45 million Tuesday toward the World Health Organization (WHO) Investment Round, a three-month-old initiative aimed at generating sustainable financing for the global health organization.
The pledges were made during the 74th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa taking place in the Republic of Congo.
In a statement, the WHO said the funding will enable it to more effectively fulfill its mandate and advance key objectives to promote, provide and protect health and well-being for all.
"I thank our African Region Member States for actively supporting WHO's first Investment Round to mobilize predictable and flexible resources needed for our core work over the next four years," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
"Full, sustainable funding will enable WHO to support countries better in their work to build healthier, more resilient and more prosperous populations."
The countries included Botswana, Cabo Verde, Chad, Congo, Ethiopia, Mauritius, Namibia, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania and Gambia.
Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO regional director for Africa, noted that a strong, predictable and sustainably financed organization is essential for the region and the world to meet multiple health threats and support the prevention of disease based on vast evidence.
"Every pledge and every partnership counts. Together, we can achieve a future where health and well-being are accessible to all," she said.
The WHO officials believe with a fully and sustainably funded operating budget over the next four years, the organization will be better positioned to tackle emergencies and outbreaks that threaten lives and jeopardize global health security.
Meanwhile, delegates at the forum on Tuesday nominated Tanzania's Faustine Engelbert Ndugulile as the next WHO regional director for Africa.
He beat candidates from Niger, Senegal and Rwanda in closed voting.
He is set to replace Moeti, whose second five-year term is nearing an end.
Ndugulile's nomination will be submitted for appointment by the 156th session of the WHO executive board which will take place in February 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland.
