Fourteen African nations and key partners pledged over $45 million to the WHO Investment Round, boosting the agency’s four‑year financing plan for global health.

Fourteen African nations and partners pledged more than $45 million to the WHO Investment Round on Friday, bolstering the agency’s four‑year financing plan.

The pledges were announced at the WHO Regional Committee for Africa, where heads of state gathered to stress the need for predictable funding for global health.

“I thank our African Region Member States for actively supporting WHO’s first Investment Round to mobilize predictable and flexible resources needed for our core work over the next four years,” WHO Director‑General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

The donor list includes Botswana, Cabo Verde, Chad, Congo, Ethiopia, Gambia, Mauritius, Namibia, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa and the United Republic of Tanzania.

Additional commitments came from the Helmsley Charitable Trust, the World Diabetes Foundation, Roche, the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the African Development Bank and the WHO Foundation.

Regional Director for Africa Dr Matshidiso Moeti said a strong, predictable and sustainably financed WHO is essential for the region and the world to meet multiple health threats.

The Investment Round, launched at the World Health Assembly in May 2024, seeks contributions that are flexible, predictable at the start of the four‑year budget cycle and drawn from a broader donor base.

Organizers said the round will continue with pledging events worldwide in the coming months, aiming to secure further resources that align with WHO’s strategic priorities.

Stakeholders expect the new funding to support disease prevention, health system resilience and broader well‑being initiatives across Africa and beyond.