Strengthening cross-border coordination to address health threats in Africa

Brazzaville - As health threats continue to spread across borders, countries are strengthening how they work together to prevent and respond to outbreaks.

Permanent Secretaries from 13 countries are meeting in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, from 4 to 5 May 2026 for a high-level consultation on cross-border collaboration for health security. The meeting focuses on refining a proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen coordination for preparedness and response to health emergencies.

Recent outbreaks of mpox, cholera, Ebola disease and Marburg virus disease have shown how quickly risks in one country can affect others. With increasing population movement, climate-related shocks and humanitarian crises, outbreaks are no longer contained within national borders.

Preparedness now depends on how effectively countries share information, detect risks early and respond together.

While many countries have strengthened preparedness under the International Health Regulations (2005), coordination across borders remains uneven. Delays in data sharing, systems that do not communicate with each other, and challenges in deploying response teams and supplies continue to slow action. The consultation in Brazzaville aims to address these critical gaps.

"This meeting is an opportunity to assess how cross-border collaboration works today and how it must evolve. We need to ensure national systems connect, align and operate in real time. Implementation will require more than the health sector alone. We will engage all relevant sectors involved in cross-border activities to ensure full participation and coordinated action," said Marie-Roseline Belizaire, Emergency Director, WHO Regional Office for Africa.

Hosted by the WHO Regional Office for Africa in collaboration with Africa CDC, the World Bank and ECSA-HC , the meeting brings together senior government officials from across the region, alongside partners, to agree on more structured and predictable ways of working together.

"The World Bank reaffirms its continued support to ensure this region is safer. The African population is counting on us to get it right," said Ramesh Govindaraj, Lead Health Specialist at the World Bank.

"ECSA-HC remains committed to supporting Member States to strengthen cross-border surveillance and coordinated response mechanisms," said Mohamed Mohamed, Senior Medical Epidemiologist at ECSA-HC.

Tolbert Nyenswah, Director for Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response at Africa CDC, urged participants to take decisions that strengthen how populations are protected, emphasizing the importance of African-led solutions for health security.

Opening the meeting, WHO Regional Director for Africa, Mohamed Janabi, underscored the urgency of strengthening coordination.

"Africa is deeply interconnected. Our borders are highly dynamic, and movement across them is often seamless. Communities across borders share culture, livelihoods, trade routes and, in many cases, common languages. While this connectivity strengthens our economies and social ties, it also presents public health risks," he said.

He added that repeated outbreaks of mpox, Ebola disease, Marburg virus disease and cholera continue to demonstrate the need for stronger, more coordinated action across countries.

The proposed framework outlines practical steps to improve cross-border collaboration, including stronger data sharing, joint risk assessments, coordinated deployment of response teams, improved logistics systems and clearer legal arrangements.

It also signals a shift from ad hoc coordination during emergencies to sustained, institutional collaboration.

The consultation builds on a series of engagements led by WHO AFRO, Africa CDC and the World Bank since early 2025, including technical consultations in Nairobi and regional dialogues on mpox and cholera preparedness.

Participants are reviewing governance, implementation and operational arrangements to ensure the proposed MoU is practical and can be applied across countries.

The World Health Organization is supporting this effort through coordination, policy guidance and technical support to Member States to strengthen readiness and implement the International Health Regulations (2005).