Nairobi will host the World Health Summit Regional Meeting in April 2026, bringing together global health leaders, policymakers, researchers and development partners to deliberate on Africa’s health priorities, including workforce development, digital health, and climate and pandemic risks.
The three-day meeting, scheduled for 27–29 April 2026, will take place at the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON) and is expected to advance African-led solutions aimed at strengthening health systems across the continent.
Preparations for the summit were outlined during a high-level donor roundtable hosted at Aga Khan University in Nairobi, which convened donors, policymakers, academics and development partners to discuss sustainable financing for integrated health systems.
Held under the theme “Re-imagining Africa’s Health Systems”, the roundtable emphasised the need to shift from fragmented health interventions toward coordinated, continent-wide approaches.
The 2026 regional meeting will be hosted by Aga Khan University, marking the second time the World Health Summit Regional Meeting is held in East Africa and only the second time on the African continent.
The meeting is convened by the World Health Summit, founded in 2009 and recognised as one of the leading platforms for global health dialogue, policy engagement and health diplomacy.
Speaking during the roundtable, Prof. Lukoye Atwoli said the Nairobi meeting comes at a critical time for global health, as countries reassess financing models, governance structures and preparedness frameworks.
“This is a pivotal time in the global health landscape where things are changing rapidly, and even out here we have been having a conversation around those changes,” Prof. Atwoli said.
“I believe it will be a platform for us to speak for Africa about our contribution to the global health environment,” he added.
He noted that unlike traditional scientific conferences, the World Health Summit Regional Meeting is designed as a multi-stakeholder forum that brings together science, policy, industry and civil society, with a focus on delivering practical outcomes.
“There are tangible outcomes that are coming out of these meetings every time we hold them,” he said.
Prof. Atwoli added that the inclusive nature of the forum ensures accountability and facilitates implementation.
“Scientists will be speaking to the issues, industries will be speaking to the innovations and what they are doing, governments will be speaking about the policy environment and implementation, and civil society will be holding everyone accountable,” he said.
The Nairobi meeting will feature eight parallel sub-themes addressing Africa’s major health priorities.
These include health workforce development, primary health care, quality and patient safety, women’s and children’s health, mental health, pandemic preparedness, digital health, and climate-related health risks.
Discussions during the donor roundtable also highlighted the importance of prioritising quality of care alongside expanded health coverage.
Participants noted that increased access without corresponding improvements in quality does not necessarily translate into better health outcomes, underscoring the need for integrated reforms across health systems.
The meeting in Nairobi follows previous World Health Summit regional meetings held in Kampala, Rome, Washington DC, Melbourne and most recently New Delhi. These forums have helped foster partnerships, mobilise resources and influence policy discussions at regional and global levels.
Hosting the 2026 meeting in Nairobi is expected to further elevate Africa’s role in shaping global health conversations, positioning the continent as an active contributor to solutions rather than a passive recipient.
Beyond the April meeting, Aga Khan University and its partners hope the outcomes from Nairobi would inform long-term cooperation across Africa and feed into deliberations at global decision-making platforms such as the World Health Assembly and the annual World Health Summit in Berlin.
As preparations continue, stakeholders view the Nairobi meeting as a strategic opportunity to strengthen health diplomacy, mobilise investment and advance resilient, equitable and people-centred health systems across the continent.
By Naif Rashid
