Professor Adama Faye, a public health researcher, highlighted the health challenges facing the African continent during a presentation at the eighth annual conference of the Africa Forum for Research and Education in Health (Afrehealth), which opened this Monday in Dakar. This meeting brings together researchers, experts, and decision-makers around the theme: "Rethinking Public Health in a Globalized World." For Professor Faye, Africa must focus on research and its human resources to establish a strong public health system.

The major challenges to be met

For Professor Faye, globalization has transformed the world into a "global village," but it has also made health crises more frequent and faster to spread. "Pandemics are now occurring more and more frequently. This is a direct effect of global interconnectedness," he recalled. He emphasized the need for Africa to strengthen its health systems to better anticipate these shocks. While infectious diseases continue to mobilize the bulk of international funding, Professor Faye warns of a growing threat: non-communicable diseases. In Senegal, some regions have a prevalence of diabetes of 17% and hypertension of 27%. "These figures reveal the scale of a major public health problem. On cancer, we have virtually no reliable data, which illustrates the continent's lag in terms of research and health statistics," he emphasized.

Financing and governance

According to Professor Faye, Africa's dependence on external funding prevents the implementation of sustainable strategies. "As long as there is no endogenous funding, we will not be able to move forward," he warned. Beyond the financial issue, he emphasized the need for transparent, inclusive, and participatory governance, an essential condition for building trust and ensuring the effectiveness of health policies. Adding to these challenges are environmental issues. Climate change, uncontrolled urbanization, and pollution are exacerbating the threats to African public health. "If we are not careful, the climate challenge risks canceling out all the efforts made in other sectors," he warned. Faced with these challenges, Professor Faye calls for a decolonial refoundation of African public health.

Recommendations

Professor Faye recommends building health and pharmaceutical sovereignty at the sub-regional level, investing massively in local research and human resource training, developing reliable data collection and analysis systems supported by artificial intelligence, and promoting equitable North-South and South-South cooperation. "We must move away from the logic of colonialism, capitalism, and sexism, and build a public health system that responds to African realities," he stated. Before launching an appeal to African decision-makers: "Together, let us transform our vision of public health for a more equitable and resilient future. Africa must take ownership of its health destiny and develop solutions rooted in its priorities."