Africa’s New Public Health Order: prospects, obstacles, and the way ahead

Africa continues to face a disproportionate burden of infectious diseases, emerging and re-emerging epidemics, non-communicable diseases, and persistent health system vulnerabilities. The COVID-19 pandemic, recurrent Ebola outbreaks, Mpox, Marburg virus disease, and other public health emergencies exposed longstanding weaknesses in health security systems and highlighted the need for greater continental self-reliance. In response, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) launched the New Public Health Order (NPHO) in 2021 as a strategic framework built on five pillars: strengthened public health institutions, a robust health workforce, expanded local manufacturing of health products, sustainable domestic financing, and action-oriented partnerships. This article examines the prospects, obstacles, and future priorities associated with the NPHO. Drawing on policy documents, reports, and emerging evidence from across the continent, we discuss progress achieved through initiatives such as Saving Lives and Livelihoods, expanding regional manufacturing ambitions, and strengthening public health leadership. We further highlight persistent barriers including fragmented governance structures, workforce shortages, donor dependency, limited domestic resource mobilization, regulatory challenges, and inadequate integration of One Health approaches in responding to emerging zoonotic threats. We argue that while the NPHO provides an important roadmap toward resilient and self-reliant health systems, its success will depend on stronger political commitment, sustainable financing, regulatory harmonization, investment in workforce development, and strengthened cross-sectoral collaboration. Advancing these priorities will be critical to building a resilient health security architecture capable of protecting Africa’s populations against future public health threats.