Attachments
executive summary
Appointed Regional Director for the WHO African Region in 2015, Dr Matshidiso Moeti embarked on a mission to transform WHO in the African Region into an agile and effective Office to support Member States in increasing health security, strengthening health systems and addressing the social determinants of health. Her tenure began during the Ebola epidemic, which revealed major gaps in WHO's capacity.
The transformation agenda introduced under her leadership aimed to reshape WHO into a more responsive and effective organisation. Conceived as a bold and ambitious strategy, the agenda sought to evolve the WHO Regional Office for Africa into an organisation that was proactive, results-driven, transparent, accountable and well-resourced.
The Transformation Agenda has been a decade-long journey of innovation, resilience and commitment towards improving health systems across the WHO African Region. As this transformation journey comes to an end, it is important to reflect on successes, challenges and lessons learned, and chart a path forward for continued progress in health development in the region.
A successful transformation agenda
Over the past decade, the transformation agenda has achieved remarkable results in several key areas. The most important achievement has been strengthening WHO's workforce and accountability, guided by our values of excellence, integrity and innovation. This focus on values has fostered an organizational culture that emphasizes teamwork, openness and a commitment to achieving results.
The Agenda also delivered significant progress in strengthening public health emergency preparedness and response capacity. This was crucial in the context of recurring health emergencies such as the Ebola and cholera epidemics. Strengthening epidemic response capacity has been invaluable in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in the region. Improving preparedness and response mechanisms has enabled the WHO Regional Office for Africa to be better positioned to address these crises and mitigate their impact on affected populations.
The interruption of wild poliovirus transmission was a landmark achievement over the past decade. The region has also made great strides toward disease elimination, including efforts targeting NTDs. The region has also accelerated the control of diseases such as malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis (TB). In addition, the region has strengthened its capacity to address antimicrobial resistance (AMR), reflecting a proactive approach to new health threats.
The agenda placed a strong emphasis on strengthening health systems and promoting UHC. The WHO Regional Office for Africa has been contributing to improving population health and health outcomes across the continent by prioritizing maternal and child health, addressing social determinants of health, enhancing access to essential services and promoting domestic health financing models in Member States.
