African leaders have called on governments across the continent to invest more in healthcare to fight the coronavirus and future pandemics. The appeal came as the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the African Union this week held the first Conference on Public Health in Africa. Addressing the virtual meeting of African health workers and experts, Rwandan President Paul Kagame said governments could no longer ignore public health investment as the continent grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic. This has been a priority for the African Union for several years but progress has not been fast enough. Twenty years ago in Abuja, Nigeria, African governments agreed to allocate 15% of their budgets to health care.

Source: Ethiopian News December 15, 2021 18:03 UTC