Dealing with borderless health threats

Diseases, as Covid and Ebola have demonstrated, do not respect borders. An outbreak in one country or region can quickly move across the continent. How can we provide health security against such threats?

S tand at any border crossing, and the realities of global health come into sharp focus. Health is never an abstract idea. It is a mother carrying a feverish child; it is a truck driver moving food across countries; it is a health worker asking if an alert from one district has reached the next; it is a vaccine that must be kept refrigerated until it reaches a remote clinic.

Diseases move with people, animals, goods, climate shocks and conflict. Antimicrobial resistance can emerge in one place and threaten treatment everywhere. An outbreak in one community can quickly become a regional emergency if information is delayed or supplies are unavailable.

Climate-related floods, droughts and displacement are continuously testing the resilience of health systems across Africa and beyond. The lesson is clear: health threats do not recognise borders. Our health systems cannot afford to either.

When I speak of coordination, I do not mean sidelining national leadership. It must not mean emergency plans designed far from the communities they are intended to serve. Nor should it mean returning to dependency, where countries wait for solutions or supplies to arrive when a crisis is already at their doorstep.

The coordination we need must strengthen national ownership, African agency, local manufacturing, domestic financing and equitable access. It must build systems that are ready before emergencies occur, and trusted when they do.

This begins with countries. Strong national health systems underlie regional and global health security. Every country needs resilient primary healthcare, capable laboratories, a trained health workforce, sustainable financing, and communities that are engaged as partners, not as passive recipients of services.

When national systems are weak, international coordination becomes reactive. When they are strong, coordination becomes more effective.

Africa has already demonstrated what is possible. During recent public health emergencies, African countries have strengthened genomic sequencing, expanded emergency operations centres, improved community surveillance and demonstrated the power of regional collaboration.

Uneven progress

Yet progress remains uneven. Too many countries still face shortages of essential medicines, diagnostics, vaccines, oxygen, blood products and health workers. Too many families still pay out of pocket for services that should be accessible and affordable.

The task before us is to turn proven solutions into systems that can deliver them reliably and at scale. This is why international action remains essential. No country, however strong, can manage borderless threats alone.

We need better data sharing, joint risk assessments, cross-border referral systems, coordinated procurement, interoperable surveillance platforms, faster deployment of emergency teams, and financing that rewards preparedness.

We need global frameworks that foster transparency and trust. And we need partnerships that align with national priorities and strengthen institutions long after the headlines have moved on.

International action must also support African-led science and technology transfer. The future of health security will depend on who has the capacity to scale and deliver innovation.

Vaccines, diagnostics, digital tools and medical technologies must not remain concentrated in a few regions while others wait. Local manufacturing is indispensable. It is a pillar of resilience.

The Zayed Sustainability Prize offers an encouraging example of what this can look like in practice. By recognising and supporting locally led innovation, it demonstrates how international platforms can strengthen national capabilities while connecting practical solutions to global impact.

In the 2026 Health category, two of the three finalists came from Africa: Drop Access from Kenya, advancing solar-powered medical refrigeration for vaccines and medicines, and Healthy Learners from Zambia, transforming schools into frontline health hubs for children. These are practical African-led solutions addressing real health challenges.

With submissions now closed for the 2027 cycle, the Prize received 10,233 entries from 177 countries, demonstrating the appetite for locally driven innovation and international collaboration.

The demand is clear. The question is whether our financing and health systems are ready to support these solutions at scale.

We must therefore move from fragmented projects to connected systems, and from short-term assistance to resilient capacity.

We cannot afford to wait until the next pandemic or climate-related disaster. Preparedness must be built through sustained investment, trusted partnerships and coordinated action long before an emergency unfolds.

There is every reason for optimism. Across Africa, governments are strengthening health systems, scientists are advancing world-class research, and innovators are developing solutions rooted in local realities. Now we need to make sure this momentum is matched by international cooperation that expands opportunity and strengthens national capacity .

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