The central themes of the Regional Meeting 2021 are in line with the African journey towards meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals and achieving universal health coverage. They include:

The Health of the African Youth

Africa has a high population of young people. These youth are growing up in a context of widespread poverty, high rates of unemployment, rapid urbanization, often limited educational opportunities and rapid socio-cultural transformations. These challenges have far-reaching implications for their health and well-being.

Advancing Technology for Health in Africa

The impact of information and communications technologies in health has grown tremendously. These technologies are a key mediator in service delivery and development in Africa.

Infectious Diseases and Global Health Security

The threat to global health of infectious diseases remains significant today. Preparedness and response to infectious diseases is a matter of global interest. International health regulations have been adopted to support countries but few have implemented these.

Stemming the Tide of Non-Communicable Diseases in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Non-communicable diseases continue to be the leading cause of death globally. In Africa, they are stretching already limited resources. Early action will stem the tide.

Inter-Sectoral Action for Health

The SDGs are interconnected and interdependent. Traditional governance and health delivery approaches that are siloed will need to be reviewed. Implementation of the High Commission on Social Determinants of Health recommendations will go a long way in achieving SDGs.