The 2025 UK-Africa Health Summit: Shared Solutions for Health for All
9 May 2025
The 2025 UK-Africa Health Summit, held on the 18-19 March at the Royal College of Physicians, London, centred on the theme: ‘Shared Solutions for health for all’. The Summit served as a pivotal platform for fostering collaboration between Africa and the UK to address pressing challenges and solutions in global health.
Building on a decade of progress, the 2025 Summit convened over 550 delegates from across governments, health sectors, civil society, and the diaspora health workforce to advance a shared agenda for stronger, more resilient health systems.
With high-level representation from over 12 African countries and the UK, the event provided a dynamic space for policy-makers, technical experts, and frontline professionals to exchange insights, shape policy, and catalyse new partnerships. It also reinforced the critical role of diaspora health workers as leaders in global health, and laid the groundwork for sustained, action-oriented collaboration across borders.
Thematic Areas
Five core themes underpinned the Summit, with these essential areas of global health at the forefront of panel discussions, breakout sessions and policy considerations:
- Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR): Reflections on the UN High-Level Meeting on AMR and strategies for stewardship.
- Diaspora Health Workforce: Exploring the contributions of diaspora professionals to healthcare systems in both the Africa and the UK.
- Health Partnerships: Sharing insights from initiatives like the Global Health Workforce Programme and Commonwealth Partnerships for Antimicrobial Stewardship (CwPAMS).
- International Recruitment of Health Workers: Reviewing the Code of Practice with WHO experts to address workforce mobility challenges.
- Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs): Preparing for the 2025 UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs.
Diaspora Healthcare Awards
Building on our founders’ goal – to spotlight the contributions of diaspora health professionals to global health – the Summit demonstrated the integral role diaspora healthcare workers play as leaders in the sector. Their cross-cultural knowledge, dual-system experience, and unique positioning are assets that must be harnessed to improve health systems both in the UK and overseas. To celebrate the contributions and achievements of diaspora health workers to global health, GHP hosted a Gala Dinner and Diaspora Awards Ceremony on the first day of the Summit. In an evening filled with celebration and well-deserved recognition for diaspora groups’ contributions to global health and the NHS, awards were presented to seven diaspora healthcare workers, with six awards for Diaspora Healthcare Champions and one for an Outstanding Achievement in Global Health. Read more about the diaspora healthcare award winners here.
Ben Simms, CEO Global Health Partnerships
Summit Highlights
With over 270 attendees on each day, the summit brought together representatives from UK and African governments, diaspora, the health partnership community, NHS Trusts, and civil society to explore innovative solutions for transforming health systems towards better health for all.
Summit in numbers:
- 2 days
- 530+ delegates
- 96 speakers
- 24 sessions
- 12 African countries represented
High-level attendees/speakers:
- Hon. Dr Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda, Minister of Health, Malawi.
- Hon. Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, Minister of State for Health, Nigeria.
- Hon. Hon Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, Minister of Health, Ghana,
- Dr Grace Magembe, Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Tanzania.
- Dr Ouma Oluga, (since promoted to) Permanent Secretary for Medical Services, Kenya.
- Hon. Dr Charles Ayume, Member of Parliament and Chairperson of Uganda’s Parliamentary Forum on Antimicrobial Resistance.
- Dr Aspect J V Maunganidze, Permanent Secretary for Health and Child Care, MoHCC, Zimbawe
- John Humphreys, UK Trade Commissioner for Africa
- Peter Vowles, British Ambassador to Zimbabwe
- Minister Ashley Dalton Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Prevention in the Department of Health and Social Care,
- Minister Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
- Joanna Keating, Head of International Development, Scottish Government
- Jim Campell, Director of Health Workforce, World Health Organization
- James Asamani, Lead Health Worker, Workforce, World Health Organization
- Dr Beccy Cooper MP, Labour MP for Worthing West and Chair for forthcoming APPG on Global Health
- Penny Walker Robertson, Deputy Director, Global Health Security, DHSC
- Professor Nicholas Crisp, Deputy Director General of Health, South Africa
- Emily Carey, Senior Health Systems Advisor, NHS Consortium for Global Health
- Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England
- Professor Dame Sally Davies, UK Special Envoy on AMR
“Huge appreciation for a wonderful Summit and the opportunity for the WHO to contribute. We trust the many individuals, teams and diaspora colleagues in both the UK and Africa found it as informative as we did. The Summit demonstrated the value of convening stakeholders in Global Health Partnerships, and we trust that you will continue to support UK-Africa partnerships in the coming years”. – Jim Campbell, Director of Workforce, WHO.
The Summit in the media
A huge thank you to our sponsors
Without the support of our sponsors, the summit would not have been possible. Your presence and expertise helped to shape the summit into the successful event it was. Thank you.
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