African Development Bank Fund Backs Regional Health Systems Upgrade in Southern Africa

The Board of Directors of the African Development Fund (ADF) has approved a $9.57 million grant to help countries within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) strengthen regional health security and improve emergency preparedness.

The funding, approved on 3 March 2026 through the concessional financing window of the African Development Bank Group, will support the Resilient Health Systems for Emergency Preparedness Project. The initiative is designed to enhance the resilience and response capacity of health systems across the SADC region in addressing public health and nutrition emergencies.

As part of the programme, 449 laboratory technicians, community health workers, and trainers—including 269 women—will receive specialised training. The training will incorporate gender considerations, climate change adaptation, and the One Health approach, which integrates human, animal, and environmental health.

In addition, 35 nutrition coordinators, including 21 women, from institutions specialising in nutrition and gender in emergency situations will receive professional certification. Updated training curricula are expected to benefit around 240 students each year, helping build a sustainable regional workforce skilled in nutrition and gender-responsive emergency management.

Infrastructure improvements form a key part of the project. Diagnostic laboratories, wastewater surveillance facilities, and environmental monitoring laboratories in six beneficiary countries will be renovated and equipped to strengthen disease detection and response capabilities.

The project will also modernise the Instituto Nacional de Saúde in Mozambique so it can function as a regional reference laboratory, while also strengthening the national blood bank in Lesotho.

Additionally, the initiative will establish a regional framework for model cross-border laboratories and deploy a mobile cross-border laboratory at two strategic border points in Mozambique and Zimbabwe, enhancing cooperation and rapid response to potential health threats.

According to Kennedy Mbekeani, Director General for Southern Africa at the African Development Bank, the project aims to tackle ongoing weaknesses in the region’s health systems.

He noted that many SADC countries remain vulnerable to zoonotic disease outbreaks, cholera epidemics, high levels of malnutrition, and shortages of skilled health personnel, alongside limited emergency preparedness capacity.

The initiative is expected to significantly strengthen the region’s ability to detect, prevent, and respond to health emergencies while building a more resilient public health system for the future.