UK-Africa Health Summit 2025: Celebrating the Vital Role of the Diaspora in the NHS and Global Health
23 April 2025
Founding the Summit
Ten years ago, together with my colleague Mariam Aligawesa – a fellow member of the Ugandan diaspora and NHS health worker – I co-founded what was then the UK– Uganda Health Summit. We launched it with an urgent goal: to spotlight the contributions of diaspora health professionals to both the UK’s NHS and health systems in countries of heritage, and to strengthen collaboration across continents for better health for all.
Following a roundtable discussion on Uganda’s medical diaspora and their engagement in global health, it became clear that diaspora professionals were adding immense value to global health – but these efforts were going largely unrecognised and unsupported. We created the Summit to bridge that gap: to connect diaspora communities with UK and African governments and lay the foundation for partnerships that could improve health outcomes everywhere.
A Growing Platform for Change
Each year, the Summit has grown – in ambition, reach, and impact. It has evolved into a truly UK–Africa platform, attracting high-level participation from across governments, international organisations, civil society, the private sector, and the diaspora.
This year’s UK–Africa Health Summit, hosted by Global Health Partnerships (formerly THET), was the most ambitious yet. Held at the Royal College of Physicians in London, it brought together 96 speakers, including those from the diaspora and Health Partnership community, Government representatives from across the UK and Africa, and experts from the WHO, UK Civil Service, and NHS. We were joined by Ministers of Health from Ghana, Nigeria, Malawi, and the UK, and government representatives from South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and Scotland, alongside partners from WHO, DHSC, FCDO, and NHS England. Our valued sponsors: UK DHSC, Haleon, Novartis, Fleming Fund, RCP, Kids OR, Abbott, BMGF, OET and Qure.ai, played a central role in shaping the Summit’s outcomes, bringing critical insight, technical expertise, and strategic support to every stage of the event.
Together, we tackled some of the most urgent challenges shaping the future of global health in 2025 and beyond.
Shared Solutions for Health for All
At the heart of the Summit was a principle that has guided us from the very beginning: partnership.
As members of a global community working to achieve better health outcomes for all – sharing knowledge, aligning efforts, and forging relationships that go beyond borders – is what enables us to make change happen. Centred around the theme: “Shared Solutions for Health for All”, this year’s Summit was both a catalyst for, and a product of, Partnerships. Discussions focused on strengthening UK–Africa collaboration in key areas such as:
- Antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
- Health workforce migration and retention
- Strengthening health systems and health worker capacity
- Tackling the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs)
We heard from UK government representatives, technical experts, and health workers on the frontlines – all of whom brought deep insight into what works, what’s needed, and where we go next.
Elevating the Diaspora’s Role
One of the most powerful threads running through the Summit was the role of diaspora health professionals – not just as contributors, but as leaders in the future of global health.
In the 2021 policy report Experts in Our Midst, Global Health Partnerships highlighted the enormous contribution diaspora healthcare professionals make to global health – alongside the reality that these professionals are still underrepresented and underrecognised. Their cross-cultural knowledge, dual-system experience, and unique positioning are assets we can no longer afford to overlook.
The report also showed that diaspora staff are often excluded from leadership roles and opportunities to participate in global health placements – despite being, in many cases, the most strategically placed to succeed.
This is why the Summit matters. It’s more than a convening opportunity – it’s a platform to formalise the strategic importance of the diaspora in shaping the future of health, both within the UK and in countries of heritage. And it’s a call to action to do more.
What’s Next?
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, over 35 new diaspora health communities and associations have been established. Today, one in five NHS staff come from overseas. The contribution of diaspora professionals is not just significant – it’s integral.
The UK–Africa Health Summit has made it clear that we need more than acknowledgment. We need commitment from government leaders – to support these communities, invest in their leadership, and formally recognise the value they bring to the NHS and global health systems.
When Global Health Partnerships joined us in co-leading this work, it helped us broaden the conversation and bring even more voices to the table. We are now in a position to drive investment into health systems across Africa, recruit and retain skilled health professionals, and build a more equitable, mutually beneficial system of collaboration.
It’s time to turn conversations into action. And to push for health for all – rooted in partnership, equity, and the power of the diaspora.
0 Comments
Leave a comment
Your email address will not be published.