HEALTH - The African Mirror

Nov

10

2025

The visionary leading Africa’s march toward health sovereignty

HEALTH

IN the gleaming conference halls of Addis Ababa and the bustling pharmaceutical factories emerging across Africa, a quiet revolution is taking shape. At its helm stands Dr Nardos Bekele-Thomas, a woman whose vision extends far beyond spreadsheets and policy papers—she sees a continent of 1.4 billion people finally commanding their own health destiny. As Chief Executive Officer of the African Union Development Agency-New Partnership for Africa's Development (AUDA-NEPAD), Dr Bekele-Thomas isn't just managing programs; she's orchestrating a continental awakening. Her mission is audacious yet achingly necessary: to break the chains of pharmaceutical dependency that have left Africa importing 61% of…

Nov

08

2025

By HEALTH CORRESPONDENT

AUDA-NEPAD Chief joins global climate board in strategic win for African health security

HEALTH

IN a move that signals growing recognition of the inextricable link between climate adaptation and health security, the Global Centre on Adaptation (GCA) has appointed Nardos Bekele-Thomas, Chief Executive Officer of the African Union Development Agency-NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD), to its Supervisory Board. The appointment places one of Africa's most influential health and development leaders at the decision-making table of global climate governance - a strategic positioning that could reshape how adaptation financing addresses the continent's escalating health vulnerabilities. Bekele-Thomas joins a distinguished board chaired by H.E. Macky Sall, former President of Senegal, alongside Rodger Voorhies, President of the Global Growth &…

Nov

06

2025

By SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

Africa charts path to pharmaceutical self-sufficiency at landmark Mombasa conference

HEALTH

AFRICA'S ambitious journey toward health sovereignty reaches a critical milestone as the continent's regulatory brain trust convenes in Mombasa for the Seventh Scientific Conference on Medical Products Regulation in Africa (SCoMRA VII), November 11-13. The high-stakes gathering brings together more than 300 policymakers, regulators, researchers, and industry leaders to forge the regulatory framework that will enable Africa to produce the majority of its own medicines, vaccines, and medical devices – a transformation deemed essential for the continent's health security and economic independence. Under the theme "Regulatory Harmonisation – Unlocking Africa's Potential in Health Product Manufacturing and Trade," the conference represents…

Oct

29

2025

By CARLOS CORONEL and AGUSTÍN IBÁÑEZ

Creativity is good for the brain and might even slow down its ageing – new study

HEALTH

CREATIVE experience might enhance brain health, which could slow down the brain’s ageing. That’s according to a study by a group of international scientists across 13 countries. They found that creative activities, like dance classes – the tango proved particularly effective – or art classes or music lessons or a hobby like gaming, had a positive impact on an artificial intelligence (AI) “brain clock”. And the more the participant practised their art form, the “younger” their brain clocks were. We asked the lead researchers, neuroscientists Carlos Coronel and Agustín Ibáñez, to explain their study. What is brain health? Brain health…

Oct

28

2025

By BONFACE ORUCHO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Kigali facility revs up Africa’s vaccine self-reliance

HEALTH

A new European financial backing of BioNTech’s mRNA vaccine facility in Kigali marks a defining step in Africa’s long-term pursuit of health and industrial self-reliance, moving the continent’s vaccine manufacturing ambitions from concept to implementation. This month, on October 13, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Commission announced a €95 million (approximately US$126 million) blended financing package to accelerate construction of BioNTech’s state-of-the-art mRNA vaccine manufacturing site in Rwanda. The package, comprising a €35 million (US$47 million) grant and up to €60 million (US$80 million) in loans, forms part of the EU’s Global Gateway strategy and builds on…

Oct

24

2025

By MARYA LIEBERMAN

Cancer drug quality in Africa is a worry: what we found in a 4-country study

HEALTH

THE number of people receiving treatment for cancer has risen dramatically in the last decade in many African countries. For example, 10 years ago in Ethiopia and Kenya, cancer care was available to only a few thousand patients per year in a few hospitals. Today, over 75,000 people receive cancer treatment each year in each of these countries. Over 800,000 people on the continent are diagnosed with this disease each year. But medicine regulatory agencies in many countries don’t have the capacity to measure the quality of anticancer drugs. This is particularly problematic for two reasons. Firstly, the high cost…

Oct

18

2025

By ANTHONY IDOWU AJAYI and CAROLINE W. KABIRU

Pregnant teens in Kenya’s low-income areas avoid health care because of fear and stigma

HEALTH

“I feared people and feared the doctors because they would probably judge or insult me. So, she (mother) told me no, that should not be the case, and so she offered to take me.” These were the words of Wanjiru (not her real name), a 17-year-old adolescent mother from an informal settlement in Nairobi. Her story reflects the deep fear and stigma that many pregnant adolescents experience when navigating access to antenatal care services. Her case is typical of a broader problem, where judgmental attitudes from health providers and community stigma discourage young girls from accessing essential antenatal care. Globally,…

Oct

17

2025

By SIPHIWE DLAMINI

Fruit juices in South Africa are getting a free ride: why they should have the same health warning labels as fizzy drinks

HEALTH

SOUTH Africa is facing a sharp rise in obesity-related diseases like type 2 diabetes. Between 2010 and 2019, the prevalence of diabetes nearly tripled from 4.5% to 12.7%. This increase is linked to lifestyle risk factors, including drinking sugary beverages, eating unhealthy foods, and not getting enough physical activity. To help tackle the problem, the government has introduced several public health measures targeting key risk factors, including unhealthy eating. One of the most prominent measures was the introduction of a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages in 2018. The tax targets added sugars, encouraging manufacturers to reformulate products like soft drinks and…

Oct

15

2025

By CLOUDIUS RAY SAGANDIRA

Africa imports over 70% of its medicines. Making active ingredients locally would change this

HEALTH

AFRICA carries a heavy health burden. It accounts for 25% of the global disease burden despite having only 18% of the global population. The situation reflects deep-rooted challenges in healthcare access, infrastructure, and socioeconomic conditions. Yet the continent produces only 3% of global medicines. It imports over 70% of its medicines. This makes medicine expensive and supply unreliable, dependent on global supply chains. The COVID-19 pandemic starkly exposed this vulnerability. Major medicines exporting countries such as China and India imposed export restrictions to prioritise domestic needs. This left African manufacturers unable to source critical ingredients and medicines. As a result,…

Oct

09

2025

By PETER S MILLARD

Male circumcision is made easier by a clever South African invention – we trained healthcare workers to use it

HEALTH

VOLUNTARY medical male circumcision is one of the most important ways to reduce new HIV infections. The foreskin contains receptors that the HIV virus can attach to, and removing it reduces HIV transmission from women to men by about 60%. But cost and access issues have been barriers for many men and boys in southern Africa. With US funding being cut for HIV programmes, it is increasingly important to scale up voluntary circumcision programmes using local resources. Together with Bonginkosi Eugene Khumalo, head of the circumcision programme at Northdale Hospital, KwaZulu-Natal, we did a study to evaluate the training of…