Kenya to host 2026 World Health Summit, spotlight on African-led solutions
It will also shape the broader global health conversation and will be a milestone not only for the university and Kenya but for Africa’s health and development agenda
Over 2,000 global health leaders, policy makers, innovators, and researchers will convene in Kenya in April next year for the 2026 World Health Summit (WHS).
Aga Khan University Medical College, East Africa Dean Lukoye Atwoli, who is the incoming International President of the WHS Regional Meeting 2026, said the summit will spotlight African-led solutions while shaping the broader global health conversation and will be a milestone not only for the university and Kenya but for Africa’s health and development agenda.
“Hosting this summit reflects AKU’s impact and influence as a thought leader in health, higher education, and innovation, not just in East Africa but across the globe. It reaffirms our commitment to shaping a healthier, more equitable future through research, education, and engagement,” he stated.
Themed ‘Reimagining Africa’s Health Systems: Innovation, Integration, and Interdependence’, the summit underscores Kenya’s rising profile as a preferred Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) destination and highlights the role of conference tourism as one of the fastest-growing global sub-sectors, valued at billions of dollars annually.
It will bring together African Health ministers, officials from Kenya’s ministry of Health, Africa CDC, WHO, UNICEF, the African Union, alongside representatives from leading universities, civil society, the private sector, and global development partners.
Kenya will become the 13th country to host the WHS Regional Meeting, joining the ranks of Singapore, Brazil, Japan, Switzerland, Canada, Portugal, Iran, Uganda, Italy, the United States, Australia, and India.
Since its founding in 2009, the World Health Summit in Berlin has evolved into one of the most influential global platforms for advancing health as a pillar of sustainable development.
Regional meetings, hosted by WHS Academic Alliance members worldwide, address pressing local challenges while feeding into the broader global dialogue in Berlin.
The Nairobi meeting is expected to be a catalyst for new partnerships across governments, academia, civil society, and the private sector, with outcomes directly informing progress toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
