UNAIDS Chief urges Africa to rethink health funding after global aid cuts

The head of UNAIDS is calling for what she describes as a “radical change” in how Africa funds healthcare, following deep cuts to international aid.

Speaking at the African Union health summit in Ghana, Executive Director Winnie Byanyima said African governments must take greater responsibility for financing their own health systems after major donors, including the United States and several European countries, reduced foreign assistance.

Byanyima said UNAIDS lost around a quarter of its funding last year, warning that the continent can no longer rely on external support. She urged governments to reprioritise spending, invest in local pharmaceutical production and work towards what she called “health sovereignty.”

Sub-Saharan Africa remains the region hardest hit by HIV, accounting for nearly two-thirds of people living with the virus worldwide and 60 percent of new infections last year.

Byanyima also warned that growing restrictions on LGBTQ rights in several African countries are driving vulnerable communities away from HIV testing and treatment, threatening years of progress in the fight against the epidemic.