Driving Growth in Africa's Health Sector Through U.S. Partnerships
During the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Week in New York, the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) held a roundtable on how U.S. and African partners can work together to grow Africa's health sector, as part of CCA's U.S.-Africa Health Security and Resilience Initiative. CCA President and CEO Florie Liser opened the event, and Chris LeGrand, Managing Partner of Indelible Partners and Chair of CCA's Pharmaceutical Advisory Board, moderated. Speakers included Brad Smith of the U.S. Department of State, a representative of the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), Monisha Ashok of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), John Nevergole of ABD Group and Aubrey Clark of U.S. Pharmacopeia. Leaders from MSD, Roche, Gilead, Zipline and Friends of the Global Fight also spoke, and several other organizations joined the open discussion.
Brad Smith reported that in its first year, the U.S. government's new global health strategy has signed health agreements with 35 countries, each committing more of its own money to health over time. He said the U.S. wants more private sector involvement in areas such as pharmacies, medicine distribution, diagnostics and faster approval of new medicines across African countries. AUDA-NEPAD noted that Africa still imports 99% of its vaccines and presented a list of 107 health manufacturing projects ready for investment. Companies shared examples of their work on the continent, including ABD Group building health facilities in Côte d'Ivoire and Gilead delivering its twice-yearly HIV prevention medicine to 10 countries within a year of U.S. approval. The open discussion highlighted the role of community organizations and the need for guarantees that give long-term investors more confidence. CCA closed by thanking participants and expressing hope that the ideas and connections from the session would turn into practical partnerships.
Click here for photos from UNGA 2026.
