Politics of disease control in Africa and the critical role of global health diplomacy: A systematic review

Background: Africa faces a triple burden of communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and nutritional disorders. Historical prioritization of economic development over health by multilateral, bilateral, and philanthropic actors has resulted in weak health systems and inadequate outbreak preparedness. This review examines the politics of disease control in Africa and the critical role of global health diplomacy (GHD). Methods: A literature review was conducted using Medline/PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase/OVID, and Google Scholar with MeSH and common terms related to politics, disease control, epidemics/endemics, and GHD in the African context. WHO, UN reports, and World Health Assembly (WHA) resolutions were also included. Results: African countries struggle to build robust disease-control health systems amid frequent epidemics. The politics of disease control necessitates cooperative partnerships among diverse actors with divergent interests. Recent COVID-19 and Ebola outbreaks significantly impacted African economies, underscoring the need to prioritize health in development agendas. The African Union (AU) should leverage rising GHD to: (i) navigate global health governance; (ii) develop strong preparedness and response strategies; (iii) address linkages between health and broader human security issues (e.g., climate-driven insecurities); and (iv) mobilize resources and build diplomatic capacity among health officials. Conclusion: The AU, Regional Economic Communities (RECs), and Africa CDC should harmonize strategies to integrate health into development agendas. The AU must harness GHD tools to forge partnerships that advance health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Vijay Kumar Chattu, W. Andy Knight, Anil Adisesh, Sanni Yaya, K. Srikanth Reddy, Erica Di Ruggiero, Obijiofor Aginam, Garry Aslanyan, Michael Clarke, M. Rashad Massoud, Ashish Jha