EU and WHO Partner to Enhance Digital Health Transformation in Africa

Strategic Insights -

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Union (EU) have announced a new agreement to support the digital transformation of health systems in sub-Saharan Africa. The partnership aims to improve pandemic preparedness and accelerate progress towards better health and well-being for all through the adoption of WHO's Global Digital Health Certification Network (GDHCN). The agreement was announced at the World Health Summit 2025, with officials from the WHO and EU highlighting the potential of the GDHCN to support the digitization of international health certificates, reduce fraud, and simplify international health requirements.

Key Takeaways:

  • The EU-WHO partnership will provide an 8 million grant to support the digital transformation of health systems in sub-Saharan Africa from 2025 to 2028.
  • The partnership will collaborate with regional partners such as the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) to provide technical and policy expertise.
  • The GDHCN is a global system that enables countries to securely and reliably verify nationally approved digital health credentials across borders, building on the European Union Digital COVID Certificate (EU DCC) system.
  • The system has the potential to support the digitization of the International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (ICVP), commonly known as the Yellow Card, and enhance global vaccination tracking.
  • Only four countries from the WHO African Region were able to join the EU DCC network, highlighting the need for expansion of the digital health infrastructure in Africa.
  • The partnership is part of the Digital Health workstream of the Team Europe Initiative on the EU-AU Health Partnership and aligned with the EU Global Gateway strategy.
  • Countries participating in the GDHCN will have control over their own personal health records, which will be managed securely by each individual country or their health system.

Statistics:

  • The EU has allocated an 8 million grant to support the partnership from 2025 to 2028.
  • The EU Digital COVID Certificate (EU DCC) system facilitated verification of vaccination, testing, and recovery certification for international travelers connecting 76 countries and territories.
  • Only four countries from the WHO African Region - Benin, Cabo Verde, Seychelles, and Togo - were able to join the EU DCC network.
  • The International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (ICVP), commonly known as the Yellow Card, is expected to be digitized through the GDHCN.

Sources:

  • World Health Organization
  • European Union
  • AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com)