eHealth Africa (eHA), a non-governmental organisation, is convening a high-level side event at the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, United States.
Announcing the side event in a statement on Monday, eHealth Africa said the dialogue, titled ‘African-led Innovation: Shaping Sustainable Futures With or Without Aid’, will take place on September 24, 2025, from 3:00–5:00 pm EDT at Population Council, New York, with hybrid participation available.
The organisation said the event would showcase Africa’s leadership in shaping sustainable futures through homegrown solutions.
The session will be moderated by Chernor Bah, minister of education for Sierra Leone and global advocate for youth empowerment.
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“It comes against the backdrop of declining donor funding, rising global inequalities, and the urgent need for Africa to lead in designing and implementing digital innovations for sustainability; whether or not foreign aid is available,” the statement reads.
“The side event will amplify Africa’s ingenuity and leadership in charting a new development path.
“This dialogue hosted in partnership with eHealth Africa, Population Services International (PSI), Population Council, and Reach Digital Health takes place at a pivotal moment for global development.
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“In 2025, donor funding has faced unprecedented cuts, with a 17% decline in Official Development Assistance and the near-total withdrawal of the United States from its role as the world’s largest aid contributor.
“This event builds on the outcome of the Insights Learning Forum (ILF) 2025, hosted by eHealth Africa, where stakeholders called for harmonized digital health strategies, locally driven investment, and stronger domestic resource mobilization. Building on that momentum, the UNGA80 side event will challenge Africa to take bolder and more deliberate steps toward a sustainable future.”
Speaking ahead of the side event, Atef Fawaz, executive director of eHealth Africa, described the dialogue as “an urgent call to action”.
“This is beyond just conversation. It’s a challenge to stakeholders across sectors to take bold steps to deepen collaboration, pool resources, and adopt adaptive strategies to sustain impact,” he said.
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Michael Holscher, president of PSI, added that African-led health solutions were already transforming service delivery across the continent.
“The most powerful solutions are coming from people with lived experience and led by experts who are building systems designed for true health sovereignty,” he said.
On her part, Debbie Rogers, CEO of Reach Digital Health, said Africa’s user-driven innovations were producing measurable impact but required stronger partnerships.
“To accelerate this progress, we need deeper collaboration and sustained investment,” she said.
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