African leaders call for faster joint action on disease threats

On 25 September, African leaders and health ministers adopted a New York call to strengthen preparedness, information-sharing and the responsible use of artificial intelligence. It builds on WHO Africa’s Preparedness Data Exchange, launched in March, and a cross-border cooperation memorandum signed by ministers from ten countries on 27 August.

Countries already have a route for sharing disease alerts. Under the International Health Regulations, national focal points notify WHO of qualifying events after assessment. WHO shares alerts through its secure Event Information Site, where focal points can also communicate directly.

The ten-country memorandum provides for earlier detection, clearer responsibilities and coordinated action. The data exchange brings risk information together to support analysis. These commitments could help authorities reach a joint decision sooner when a threat emerges along a border.

WHO’s account gives no comparable times from detection to notification, acknowledgement or joint response. A corridor exercise could establish where delays occur and whether the new commitments help shorten them.

Participating health ministries, WHO Africa and regional surveillance bodies could choose a priority corridor and rehearse a plausible outbreak signal through the existing focal-point network.

District and national teams would agree who sends and acknowledges the alert, what information may be shared, when a joint assessment begins and who can mobilise laboratories or response teams.

A time-stamped exercise, followed by a published improvement plan and a repeat test, would show whether cooperation is becoming quicker and more dependable while protecting sensitive health data.

Kenya’s National Treasury and Central Bank have opened public participation on a draft National Payment System Policy and Bill. The proposals seek a more interoperable, secure and inclusive payments system, with safeguards for consumers and their data. If enacted, the Bill would replace the existing National Payment System Act.

The reform matters when residents move money between providers, pay public fees or need an error corrected. A successful transfer at a fair cost is the practical measure of interoperability.

The draft framework also needs clear responsibility when a payment fails, data are misused or a customer cannot resolve a complaint.

Forums begin on 28 September in Mombasa and Kisii, with other locations scheduled through 9 October. Comments close that day.

After consultation, the Treasury and CBK could publish a response matrix showing which concerns changed the text, how providers must handle failures and what recourse customers will have. The practical protections depend on the final law and its implementation.

The UN General Assembly adopted a declaration on sea-level rise on 24 September. It calls for better observations, risk assessments, early warnings and long-term adaptation.

The World Meteorological Organization says the global mean sea level at the end of 2025 was about 11 centimetres higher than in January 1993. Local risk depends on tides, storm surges, elevation and the people and assets exposed.

For East African ports, coastal settlements and public utilities, the question is which places face greater flooding when higher water meets a storm surge or heavy rain. Local tide records, elevation data and exposure maps can help locate those risks.

Decisions about drainage, land use, hospitals, roads and protective works then need responsible agencies and budgets. Coastal planning authorities could bring observations and development permissions into one public risk picture.

A dated map of vulnerable people and essential assets, followed by a funded plan for the highest-risk sites, would give the declaration a local measure of progress.

WHO Africa has launched DIGIT-HCM, a three-year initiative to bring planning, field reporting and mapping for health campaigns onto a shared digital platform. Its first phase is intended to include seven pilot countries.

A district in Chad used the system during a June polio vaccination campaign. The pilot offers an early operational example for the regional programme.

Campaigns can miss households when separate programme databases, outdated settlement maps and late field reports fail to meet. The platform brings geographic information and campaign data together so managers can see where teams went and where gaps may remain.

WHO’s announcement describes the design and the Chad pilot. Wider adoption and improvements in coverage have yet to be measured.

Health ministries considering the tool could start with a defined district and a baseline for missed settlements, reporting delay and data quality.

Field teams, programme managers and data-protection staff could then check whether the shared map changes routes and helps reach people who were missed. Published results should show coverage and timeliness, with safeguards for the people represented in the data.