Regional Integration Gives SADC 'Power to Negotiate' in Global Health, Says UNFPA Official
Regional Integration Gives SADC 'Power to Negotiate' in Global Health, Says UNFPA Official
For SADC, coming together as a bloc strengthens the region's voice in global health debates, Lydia Zigomo, Regional Director for UNFPA in East and Southern Africa, told Sputnik Africa on the sidelines of a SADC Ministers of Health meeting in South Africa.
Key benefits of integration she highlighted:
🟠South-South Exchange: Countries can adapt solutions from neighbors facing similar cultural and economic contexts.
🟠Pooled Procurement: SADC is developing a collective procurement mechanism—drawing lessons from COVID—to localize medicine production and secure better pricing, thereby improving access to essential medicines and preventing stockouts in local communities.
"SADC is ahead of the curve in Africa," Zigomo concluded, noting its integration on health issues from malaria and TB to maternal health.
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