ACCRA, GHANA | 22 JULY 2026 — The President of the United Republic of Tanzania, H.E. Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan, has highlighted Tanzania’s significant progress in strengthening its health sector, attributing the achievements to strong political leadership, increased investment in primary healthcare and enhanced domestic financing.
President Samia said the measures undertaken by the Government have contributed to improving the delivery of healthcare services, strengthening disease prevention and control, and reducing deaths and new infections associated with major communicable diseases.
She made the remarks while addressing the African Union Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government on Health held in Accra, Ghana, on 22 July 2026.
In her address, President Samia said Tanzania’s health sector reforms have contributed to an approximately 80 per cent reduction in patient mortality, reflecting the impact of strengthened healthcare systems and improved access to essential health services.
She further noted that new HIV infections have declined by 50 per cent, while tuberculosis-related deaths have fallen by 61.4 per cent, achievements she attributed to strengthened prevention, screening, early diagnosis and treatment services.
The President also highlighted Tanzania’s progress in the fight against malaria, one of the country’s longstanding public health challenges.
According to President Samia, malaria prevalence in Tanzania declined from 14.8 per cent in 2015 to 5.7 per cent in 2025, while the number of reported malaria cases decreased from 7.7 million to 2.8 million over the same period.
She said the progress reflects the continued implementation of comprehensive malaria prevention and control interventions, alongside increased investment in healthcare services and public health programmes.
President Samia also underscored the importance of investing in the health and wellbeing of young people, noting that the Government has continued to implement programmes aimed at improving adolescent health and addressing challenges affecting young people.
She said these interventions have contributed to a reduction in the rate of teenage pregnancies from 28 per cent to 22 per cent, demonstrating the importance of sustained investment in adolescent health and targeted public health interventions.
The President emphasised that Tanzania’s experience demonstrates the importance of strong political commitment, adequate investment in primary healthcare and increased mobilisation of domestic resources in achieving sustainable improvements in health outcomes.
She called on African countries to increase investment in their health systems and strengthen the mobilisation and effective utilisation of domestic resources to reduce dependence on external financing and build more resilient healthcare systems.
President Samia also stressed the need for stronger regional cooperation among African countries to enhance the continent’s collective capacity to prevent and respond to disease outbreaks and other emerging health challenges.
She noted that diseases and public health emergencies do not respect national borders, making cooperation, information sharing, coordinated preparedness and joint action essential to protecting the health and wellbeing of African populations.
The President further emphasised that sustainable progress in Africa’s health sector requires strong political leadership capable of prioritising healthcare, mobilising resources and ensuring that investments translate into accessible, affordable and quality health services for all citizens.
Her call comes as African countries continue to pursue stronger and more resilient health systems capable of addressing communicable diseases, emerging health threats and other public health challenges.
President Samia’s remarks at the African Union Extraordinary Summit on Health underscored Tanzania’s commitment to advancing universal health coverage and strengthening continental cooperation in public health.
The achievements highlighted by the President position Tanzania as an example of how political leadership, domestic investment, primary healthcare and coordinated disease prevention strategies can contribute to improved health outcomes and accelerate progress towards sustainable development across Africa.