African Development Fund Grants $9. 57 Million to SADC Health Systems. Nairobi, Kenya — March 18, 2026 Lead Paragraph The African Development Fund (ADF) has approved a $9.
57 million grant to bolster health security and emergency preparedness in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.
The financing, announced on March 3, 2026, is intended to fund the Resilient Health Systems for Emergency Preparedness Project, a move that aims to enhance the capacity of health systems to respond to public health crises.
The African Development Bank Group’s concessional window is providing this financial support.
Kennedy Mbekeani, the Director General for Southern Africa at the African Development Bank, highlighted the urgency of the initiative, noting the region’s health systems are vulnerable to various challenges, including zoonotic outbreaks, cholera epidemics, high malnutrition rates, and limited human resources.
The project encompasses the training of 449 laboratory technicians, community health workers, and trainers, with a focus on gender mainstreaming, climate change adaptation, and the One Health approach.
Additionally, around 35 nutrition coordinators will receive certification.
The program is expected to benefit approximately 240 students annually, fostering a sustainable pool of expertise in nutrition and gender-responsive emergency management. Infrastructure upgrades are also part of the plan, with diagnostic laboratories, wastewater, and environmental surveillance laboratories in six beneficiary countries set to be renovated and equipped.
The Instituto Nacional de Saúde in Mozambique will be modernized to serve as a regional reference laboratory, and the national blood bank in Lesotho will be strengthened.
A regional framework for model cross — border laboratories and a mobile cross-border laboratory for Mozambique and Zimbabwe are also on the agenda.
The project is a significant step towards improving health systems in the SADC region, but the long — term impact and sustainability remain to be seen. Further details are expected as the project unfolds.
