Gatefield, a public strategy and media group, is set to host a high-level health summit in Abuja this month, bringing together global and African leaders to chart a new course for building resilient and equitable health systems across the continent.
Public Health Lead at Gatefield, Ms. Omei Bongos, disclosed this to journalists on Friday in Abuja. She said the Health Summit 2025 is scheduled to hold from October 22 to 23 at Nile University, Abuja.
According to Bongos, Africa faces an escalating health emergency, driven by rising rates of chronic diseases, drug-resistant infections, and severely underfunded women’s and mental health services — all posing significant threats to millions of lives.
“Sub-Saharan Africa currently has less than eight per cent health insurance coverage, while chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes cut short nearly one in four lives,” she said.
“Alarmingly, drug-resistant infections now kill more Africans than HIV/AIDS or malaria. Without urgent action, antimicrobial resistance could claim 10 million lives annually by 2050, surpassing cancer as a leading cause of death,” she added.
Bongos noted that the continent bears 25 per cent of the global disease burden but receives only three per cent of global health funding, forcing around 150 million Africans into catastrophic health expenditures each year.
She also highlighted that women’s and mental health remain critically neglected areas:
“Half of African women of reproductive age are anaemic, and about 116 million Africans live with mental health conditions, yet funding remains minimal. Health resilience begins with systems that anticipate shocks — whether pandemics, drug resistance, or financial strain — and protect the most vulnerable,” she said.
The summit will convene policymakers, researchers, and private sector leaders, with participation from organizations including the World Bank, International Diabetes Federation, Pathfinder International, and the Society for Family Health.
The discussions will focus on health system innovation, domestic financing, and data-driven governance.
Gatefield’s Advocacy Lead, Ms. Shirley Ewang, emphasized the summit’s holistic approach:
“From food and funding to women’s health and medicines, the agenda recognises a shared truth — that health systems must be built to endure,” she said.
Ewang added that the summit is expected to deliver actionable strategies for strengthening African health systems, tackling non-communicable diseases, improving access to medicines, and closing critical gaps in women’s and mental health services.
