Africa adopts regional strategy for early childhood development and brain health

African health ministers, meeting at the Seventy-sixth session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa in Addis Ababa, have endorsed a new regional strategy to improve early childhood development outcomes from 2026 to 2032. The strategy aims to strengthen systems and scale up services for children and families to ensure better nutrition, health services, and learning opportunities.

Experts highlight that brain health is a critical but overlooked prerequisite for the continent's economic growth. While Africa's young population is expected to drive global innovation by 2050, neurological challenges—including the long-term effects of infectious diseases like cerebral malaria and HIV, as well as malnutrition and epilepsy—threaten developmental potential. Currently, specialized neurological care and diagnostic equipment remain concentrated in urban centers, leaving rural populations with limited access to essential services.