Arusha, Tanzania, 11 November 2026 – The East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA-HC) will undertake a high-level regional health security mission to Uganda, Ethiopia, Zambia and Malawi from 17 November to 2 December 2026, aimed at strengthening Ebola preparedness, enhancing cross-border coordination and advancing strategic partnerships for regional health security.
Led by ECSA-HC Director General, Dr. Ntuli Kapologwe, the mission comes at a critical time as countries across the region continue to strengthen their capacities to prevent, detect and respond to Ebola Virus Disease and other public health emergencies.
The mission will focus on three key priorities: strengthening political commitment, assessing operational readiness and enhancing regional coordination. It will provide an opportunity to engage governments, public health institutions and development partners on practical measures to improve preparedness and response capacities.
Through the World Bank-funded Health Emergency Preparedness, Response and Resilience Program (HEPRR), ECSA-HC is working with project countries and partners to translate regional preparedness commitments into practical interventions at points of entry, health facilities and national emergency response systems.
In Uganda, Zambia and Malawi, the Director General will hold high-level engagements with Ministers of Health, Permanent Secretaries and other senior government officials to discuss priority actions for strengthening cross-border preparedness and sustaining investments in health security.
The mission will also include visits to strategic points of entry, including Entebbe International Airport, Livingstone, Victoria Falls and the Mwami–Mchinji border crossing. The visits will assess national capacities for detecting potential health threats, screening travellers, communicating across borders, referring suspected cases and coordinating emergency responses.
Speaking ahead of the mission, Dr. Kapologwe emphasised the importance of collective regional action in protecting populations against emerging public health threats.
“Health security cannot be achieved by individual countries acting in isolation. Our collective protection depends on trust, timely information sharing, coordinated action and sustained investment in the systems and people responsible for protecting public health,” he said.
In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Dr. Kapologwe will represent ECSA-HC at the International Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA 2026), where the Community expects to share regional experiences in implementing the seven-intervention Ebola preparedness package at high-risk points of entry.
The mission will further involve strategic engagements with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa (WHO AFRO), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and other partners. Discussions will include coordination through the Continental Incident Management Support Team mechanism to strengthen alignment between regional initiatives and national priorities.
Through this mission, ECSA-HC seeks to identify operational gaps, agree on practical priorities, strengthen strategic partnerships and support Member States in building resilient health systems capable of responding effectively to future health emergencies.
ENDS
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Mr. Owen Mwandumbya
Communications and Advocacy Specialist, ECSA-HC
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Email: omwandumbya@ecsahc.org
Dr. Syriacus Buguzi, MD, MSc
Project Administrator (Communications) - AFE Health Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Resilience Program-MPA Project
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