Health analysts have said that the reform agenda unveiled by the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, Dr Mohamed Janabi, signals an important shift in how African countries prepare for disease outbreaks.
According to them, the reforms will also help strengthen routine health services, particularly in Nigeria.
The analysts made the remarks in separate interviews with reporters on Saturday in Abuja.
Janabi, who spoke in an interview with Nature Africa, said Africa must prioritize early detection of disease outbreaks, stronger primary healthcare (PHC) systems, and regional manufacturing of vaccines and medical commodities to reduce dependence on emergency responses.
He warned that delayed reporting and weak laboratory systems had contributed to the widespread transmission of infections across the continent, stressing that preparedness should no longer depend on funding that rises only during crises.
“Africa has learned repeatedly that delayed action is costly. If we strengthen systems early, we reduce the severity of the shocks that follow,” Janabi said.
An Associate Professor of Infectious Diseases at Nasarawa State University, Dr Ishaku Akyala, said the blueprint was particularly relevant to Nigeria, which continues to battle recurring outbreaks such as Lassa fever, cholera and diphtheria, alongside a growing burden of non-communicable diseases.
Akyala noted that Janabi’s emphasis on district-level surveillance, real-time data, laboratory readiness and reliable electricity supply in health facilities aligned with Nigeria’s ongoing efforts to modernize disease intelligence systems.
According to him, the approach could help the country detect outbreaks earlier, reduce response delays and limit both economic and human losses.
Janabi identified PHC as the strongest lever for improving public health in Africa, warning that heavy investment in tertiary healthcare at the expense of community-level services exposes millions to high out-of-pocket health spending.
“If we strengthen the foundations, everything upstream becomes more efficient,” he said.
A public health expert, Dr Samuel Eleojo, said the reforms supported Nigeria’s plans to revitalize PHC centres, expand health insurance coverage and scale up community-level care through initiatives such as the Basic Health Care Provision Fund.
Janabi also called for increased local manufacturing of vaccines, diagnostics and medicines, saying Africa must reduce its near-total dependence on foreign supplies during global health emergencies.
He said coordinated procurement, regulatory harmonization and sustained financing were required to make regional production viable.
Eleojo said Nigeria would benefit from the reforms through its ongoing national vaccine manufacturing drive and pharmaceutical sector revitalization initiatives.
Janabi further acknowledged funding pressures within WHO Africa and pledged reforms to make country offices more responsive, technically stronger and more accountable to member states.
He said WHO Africa would continue to support governments to shift from crisis-driven responses to predictable, long-term system strengthening.
“The momentum is there. Our task is to turn promising progress into standard practice,” Janabi said.
Observers said the blueprint challenges Nigeria to sustain health financing, improve coordination, strengthen PHC delivery and invest in early warning systems to ensure resilience against shocks such as pandemics, climate-related disease spread and economic strain.
They noted that full implementation would help Nigeria move towards routine preparedness, protect households from catastrophic health spending and strengthen national health security.
