The agreement sets out a shared agenda for collaboration, research and youth participation in shaping Africa’s health systems.
NAIROBI, Kenya, October 27, 2026 – Nine partner universities of the Africa Health Collaborative (AHC), in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, have endorsed the Nairobi Accord, committing to deepen collaboration, strengthen youth leadership and use evidence to inform health policy and solutions across Africa.
Endorsed at the close of the AHC’s 2026 Annual Convening in Nairobi, the Accord establishes four shared priorities:
- Pooling institutional strengths, networks and resources for greater impact;
- Creating meaningful opportunities for young people to influence decisions within the Collaborative;
- Generating evidence through action research to improve programs and identify solutions for scale;
- Sustaining stakeholder engagement to translate evidence into policy, advocacy, and action.
The agreement builds on institutional implementation by strengthening collective action. Central to this vision is a shared ambition to transform Africa’s health systems through workforce development, entrepreneurship and system strengthening, while empowering young people—especially young women—to access dignified and fulfilling work aligned with the Mastercard Foundation’s Young Africa Works strategy.
As of July 2026, AHC partners have collectively supported over 15,000 health venture founders to create 4,844 jobs and enabled over 21,000 young people to secure meaningful employment.
Prof. Joachim Osur, Vice Chancellor of Amref International University and outgoing 2026 Chair of the AHC Executive Steering Committee, emphasized this combined health and employment ambition.
We came together because we want to improve health in Africa, especially primary health care, and as we do that, we want to contribute towards the Mastercard Foundation’s goal of creating 30 million jobs for young people-meaningful, fulfilling jobs.
Putting Young People at the Centre of Health System Transformation
The Accord emphasizes moving young people from passive beneficiaries to active co-creators.
Throughout the year, young people have taken on leadership roles within the Collaborative. Notably, the AHC Young Leaders Committee is represented through a designated member on the Executive Steering Committee, allowing young voices to actively shape strategy.
Initiatives like the AHC’s Health Innovation Festival brought together 37 health ventures and ideas from nine partner institutions to refine their ideas, build partnerships and pitch solutions, with selected teams sharing US$13,000 in prizes. Meanwhile, the Ubuntu Rising working event brought together over 80 young people from across Africa who made nine concrete recommendations for improving youth leadership, employment, and innovation in health.
This momentum was reflected during the 2026 Annual Convening hosted by Amref International University and Amref Health Africa under the theme, “Africa Unlocked: Co-creating Impactful and Sustainable Youth-led Health Innovations.”
The program began with Emerging Leaders Day, a leadership and research workshop for early career researchers, followed by a Venture Showcase for young founders, and dedicated youth forums where participants debated and exchanged strategies for strengthening Africa’s health workforce.
“Young people are not simply the beneficiaries of our work. They are co-creators, co-builders, and leaders of Africa’s future,” said Prof. Dancan Irungu, Event Organizing Committee Chair and Principal, Institute of Sustainability and Innovations (ISI) at Amref International University.
Looking ahead to 2027, Prof. Angela Owusu-Ansah, Provost of Ashesi University and incoming Chair of the Executive Steering Committee, called on students and early-career colleagues to identify, verify and document African health “pockets of excellence.” The proposed work would contribute to an African Health Capability Atlas and the first State of African Health Capability Report, while creating opportunities for young people to generate evidence and challenge deficit-based narratives about African health systems.
With Ashesi University set to host the 2027 Annual Convening in Ghana, the immediate task for all nine partner institutions is to turn the Nairobi Accord into sustained, measurable action. That will require partners to work collectively, give young people meaningful and clearly defined roles in shaping programs, and use evidence to identify, strengthen and, where appropriate, expand effective approaches across Africa’s health systems.
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