LUSAKA, ZAMBIA — Five of Africa’s Regional Economic Communities (RECs) have taken another step toward strengthening continental cooperation on public health emergencies, following a three-day meeting in Lusaka, Zambia, organized through collaboration between the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
According to conclusions reported by IGAD, the meeting brought together representatives of SADC, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the East African Community (EAC), IGAD and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS).
The discussions focused on strengthening implementation of the Health Emergency Preparedness, Response and Resilience (HEPRR) programme, an initiative involving eleven participating African countries.
Representatives of the East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community, African Union institutions, the World Bank, the World Health Organization (WHO) and development partners also participated.
The meeting highlighted a central challenge facing Africa’s regional integration agenda: infectious diseases do not recognize national borders, yet public health preparedness and emergency response systems frequently operate within separate national and regional institutions.
Five regional blocs seek stronger coordination
One of the meeting’s most significant recommendations was the establishment of a more formal coordination mechanism among participating Regional Economic Communities.
Such a mechanism could help participating institutions align health emergency planning, strengthen communication and reduce fragmentation in regional responses.
The five RECs involved represent a substantial portion of Africa’s regional institutional architecture, with responsibilities spanning economic cooperation, infrastructure, trade, mobility and regional development.
Their participation demonstrates the growing importance of connecting public health security with Africa’s broader regional integration objectives.
Rather than treating disease outbreaks exclusively as national emergencies, stronger inter-REC cooperation could create opportunities for governments and regional institutions to coordinate preparedness and response activities across multiple borders.
However, the recommendation to establish a coordination mechanism should not be confused with the creation of an operational institution. Its eventual effectiveness will depend on implementation arrangements, institutional responsibilities and sustained political commitment.
Addressing weaknesses in Africa’s health emergency systems
The HEPRR programme focuses on several interconnected challenges that have historically complicated public health responses across the continent.
These include disease surveillance, emergency preparedness, cross-border coordination and access to essential medical products.
Disease surveillance is particularly important in regions where populations, livestock and commercial goods move frequently across national boundaries.
When countries maintain separate surveillance systems without effective information-sharing arrangements, detecting and responding to emerging threats can become more difficult.
Improved regional coordination could support earlier identification of outbreaks and more timely communication between national health authorities.
Emergency preparedness represents another priority.
Effective preparedness requires trained personnel, functioning laboratories, medical supply arrangements, response protocols and the institutional capacity to act before localized outbreaks develop into wider emergencies.
The programme’s focus on essential medical products also highlights the importance of ensuring that health systems can access necessary supplies during emergencies.
For African countries dependent on cross-border supply chains, coordination between regional institutions may help identify shortages and improve emergency logistics.
Why health security matters for African economic integration
The Lusaka discussions carry implications extending beyond public health.
Africa’s economic integration agenda depends on the movement of people, goods, services and investment across national boundaries.
When major disease outbreaks occur, governments may introduce travel restrictions, border controls and other emergency measures that disrupt economic activity.
Cross-border traders, transportation companies, agricultural producers and communities dependent on regional markets can be particularly vulnerable to such disruptions.
Strengthening health emergency preparedness could therefore support both public safety and economic resilience.
For SADC, COMESA, EAC, IGAD and ECCAS, closer cooperation offers an opportunity to examine how health systems can complement regional transportation corridors, trade facilitation arrangements and mobility frameworks.
The broader objective is not simply to respond to emergencies after they occur, but to develop institutions capable of anticipating threats and coordinating action before disruptions spread.
A practical test of African Union regional integration
The involvement of five Regional Economic Communities gives the meeting particular significance within the African Union’s long-term integration agenda.
The AU recognizes eight Regional Economic Communities as building blocks of continental integration.
Although these institutions have different memberships, mandates and operational structures, their activities increasingly intersect in areas such as trade, infrastructure, migration, peace and security, and public health.
The Lusaka meeting illustrates how regional institutions can collaborate on challenges that cannot be effectively addressed by any single organization acting alone.
It also highlights the importance of cooperation between the RECs and continental institutions, including those responsible for Africa’s health security architecture.
The experience of COVID-19 demonstrated the importance of coordinated disease surveillance, medical procurement, laboratory capacity and emergency communication.
For African policymakers, the challenge is translating those lessons into permanent institutional capabilities rather than temporary responses activated during crises.
From regional discussions to implementation
The central question emerging from the Lusaka meeting is whether the proposed coordination arrangements will produce measurable improvements in health emergency preparedness.
Several issues will be important to the programme’s longer-term success.
Participating institutions will need to clarify their respective responsibilities, establish effective communication channels and determine how regional activities connect with national health authorities.
Financing and implementation capacity will also be critical.
The participation of the World Bank, WHO and development partners provides an opportunity for technical and financial cooperation, although the information reported from the meeting does not establish any new funding commitments.
Equally important will be ensuring that regional coordination translates into practical improvements at border crossings, healthcare facilities, laboratories and communities exposed to cross-border health risks.
Progress will ultimately be measured not by the number of meetings convened, but by whether countries can detect threats earlier, exchange information more effectively and respond to emergencies with greater speed and coordination.
WDS Analysis: Africa’s integration experiment extends into public health
For When the Dust Settles, the Lusaka meeting represents another important dimension of Africa’s ambitious integration experiment.
The continent is pursuing a historically complex project: building closer political, economic and institutional cooperation among 55 African Union member states while preserving national sovereignty.
That effort requires more than continental declarations or agreements on trade.
It requires institutions capable of working together across borders on the practical challenges affecting African populations.
Public health is one of those challenges.
A disease outbreak originating in one country can threaten neighboring populations, disrupt regional transportation networks and place pressure on economic systems far beyond its initial location.
The participation of five RECs in a common health emergency programme therefore offers a potentially important example of how Africa’s regional institutions can cooperate beyond their traditional economic mandates.
The recommendation for a formal inter-REC coordination mechanism is especially significant because it recognizes that cooperation must become institutionalized if it is to remain effective.
Yet important questions remain.
Will the participating RECs establish clear operational responsibilities? Will countries develop interoperable surveillance systems? Will medical supply chains become more resilient? And will coordination mechanisms function effectively when the next major cross-border emergency occurs?
Those questions will determine whether the Lusaka meeting becomes a meaningful milestone in African institutional integration.
Conclusion: Health security as a foundation for a more integrated Africa
The collaboration between IGAD, SADC, COMESA, EAC and ECCAS demonstrates a growing recognition that Africa’s development and integration objectives are interconnected.
Trade cannot function effectively without reliable transportation networks. Cross-border mobility depends on functioning institutions. And regional economic resilience increasingly requires coordinated public health systems.
The Lusaka meeting has identified an important institutional priority: strengthening cooperation among Regional Economic Communities in preparing for and responding to health emergencies.
Its significance now depends on implementation.
For Africa’s integration agenda, the larger lesson is clear: building a more connected continent also means building the collective capacity to protect the people who live, work and travel across its borders.