Nairobi will host the World Health Summit Regional Meeting (WHSRM) 2026 from April 27 to 29 at the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON), bringing together more than 2,000 global health leaders to discuss Africa’s health systems priorities. The Aga Khan University (AKU) announced the three-day gathering on Thursday, February 13, 2026, emphasizing its role in advancing African-led health solutions.
The high-level meeting will convene under the theme Reimagining Africa’s Health Systems: Innovation, Integration, and Interdependence. Participants will include health ministers, senior policymakers, researchers, innovators and representatives from multilateral organizations including Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), African Union and UNICEF.
Professor Lukoye Atwoli, Dean of the Medical College, East Africa at Aga Khan University and International President of WHSRM 2026, described the summit as a significant milestone for AKU, Kenya and Africa’s health and development agenda. He stated the meeting will spotlight African-led solutions while shaping broader global health conversations through research and education.
Atwoli emphasized this represents a pivotal time in the global health landscape where rapid changes require coordinated responses. He expressed confidence the summit will provide a platform for Africa to speak about its contributions to the global health environment while generating evidence-based outcomes that move the continent from isolated projects toward systems-level transformation.
Delegates will engage in policy dialogues, plenaries and collaborative workshops over 70 sessions focusing on health systems resilience, pandemic preparedness, digital innovation, equitable access to quality care, and sustainable investments in health workforce and financing. Priority areas include adolescent health, cancer research and genomics, mental health, local pharmaceutical manufacturing, health security and commercial determinants of health.
The summit location at UNON, the only UN headquarters office in Africa and the Global South, underscores the continent’s growing role as a hub for health diplomacy and international partnership. Hosting this gathering highlights leadership of African institutions in convening forums critical to current and future health outcomes.
Some sources indicate the summit will take place at Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) rather than UNON. KICC Director of Business Development Geoffrey Thande stated the venue continues to spearhead strategic collaborations to secure world-class conventions, ensuring Kenya’s visibility and competitiveness on the global stage.
The Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) sector represents a vital driver of economic growth aligned with Kenya’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA). Hosting the 2026 summit is expected to inject an estimated KES 3.8 billion into the economy through the multiplier effect of business events tourism.
AKU met with senior officials from United Nations health agencies in late January 2026 to advance preparations. The gathering focused on strengthening collaboration, aligning institutional priorities and shaping the summit as a platform for African-led health systems reform. Representatives from UNICEF, WHO, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), UN Women and International Organization for Migration participated.
Dr. Shaheen Nilofer, UNICEF Representative to Kenya, noted strategic alignment between WHSRM themes and UN priorities including the Every Woman, Every Child agenda. She stated hosting the summit in Nairobi puts Kenya firmly on the global health map while offering opportunities to unite policymakers, practitioners and development partners around shared goals.
The World Health Summit was founded in 2009 in Berlin as one of the most influential global platforms for advancing health as a pillar of sustainable development. In addition to the annual Berlin meeting, WHS organizes regional meetings hosted by members of the WHS Academic Alliance in different parts of the world to address local and regional health challenges.
The International Presidency of the World Health Summit rotates annually among Academic Alliance members. Professor Balvir Singh Tomar, Founder and Chancellor of NIMS University and International President of WHSRM 2025, handed over the presidency to Atwoli during the WHS Opening Night 2025.
Outcomes from the Nairobi meeting will inform regional and global deliberations, advancing progress toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Participants expect discussions to foster long-term cooperation across the continent and strengthen Africa’s position in global health decision-making.
Governments, regional organizations, academic institutions, private sector players, civil society networks, donors and advocates for healthier societies across Africa are invited to participate. Registration details and session information are available at the official event website.
