MIL Africa Engine

Source: APO

“It’s surprising it’s taken us this long to recognise and think about facilitating [women’s] role. Because once you see it, you can’t unsee it,” said Nazila Ghanea, UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief.

Ghanea was referring to a conference titled “The role of women as guides and spiritual leaders in preventing violent extremism: A peer-to-peer exchange on faith and human rights”. Behind the formal title of the conference, which took place last May in Dakar, Senegal, there is a straightforward argument: that women’s religious leadership may be one of the most under-used tools against violent extremism in the region.

The conference brought together religious and community leaders, human rights experts and government partners.

“Because women are at the centre of social dynamics, their role in preventing violent extremism is extremely important — they have the advantage of proximity, and the legitimacy to speak to communities,” said Fatou Dramé, sociologist and gender expert from Senegal.

“Being both a woman and a religious authority, is yet a double opportunity that must be put to use to prevent this phenomenon,” Dramé added.

The women at the centre of the Dakar meeting go by different names depending on where they work: the Mourchidates — female religious guide in Arabic — of Mauritania, trained, certified and deployed by the State through the Ministry of Islamic Affairs to counter extremist narratives directly, and the Badian Gokh — neighbourhood godmothers in Wolof — of Senegal, trusted local mediators whose role began in maternal and community health and has since extended into questions of faith and social cohesion.

“They are women and young women trained in the alternative discourse to radical, violent speech: the arguments that dismantle the radicals’ arguments,” said Aminata Couro Ly, Coordinator of the Mourchidates network project in Mauritania.

“They were deployed across all of Mauritania’s intervention zones and began raising awareness among several target groups,” she added.

Both networks predate this conference by years. The Mourchidates were established in 2021 as a partnership between Mauritania’s Ministry of Islamic Affairs and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which developed the training programme with the Association of Women Heads of Family — an organization Couro Ly represents. By 2022, UNODC reported the network had reached over 8,000 people, from students to former combatants and their families. It’s that existing infrastructure that the Dakar conference — organised jointly by UN Human Rights and UNODC — built on, layering the Faith for Rights framework onto years of groundwork already underway.

A framework built from the ground up

The Faith for Rights framework was launched by UN Human Rights in 2017 to foster peaceful societies through reflection and joint action on the deep connections between religions, beliefs and human rights.

As divine texts rely on human interpretations, the Faith for Rights commitments encourage critical thinking and debate on religion or belief. They specifically commit to revisit those religious understandings that appear to perpetuate gender inequality and harmful stereotypes or even condone gender-based violence.

“We support this through peer-to-peer learning”, said Michael Wiener, Coordinator of the Faith for Rights framework. It’s also why UN Human Rights avoids certain language when it works with faith communities directly.

“We usually don’t use the term ‘training of trainers,’ because ‘trainer’ implies a kind of hierarchy. Rather, we see it as facilitating a discussion,” Wiener said. “It’s very ‘unhierarchical’, as everyone has something to learn and something to contribute. So, our methodology is to facilitate the role of facilitators.”

Dramé said that this conference truly allowed them a different reading of what complementarity between religion and human rights means.

“I was afraid, before coming [to the conference], that we would stay on superficial, very polite exchanges,” said Kahina Bahloul, first female Imam in France since 2019. “[Instead], I saw absolutely incredible people, incredible women who have a drive, a desire — I would say the fire and the will to change things.”

But admiration wasn’t the only thing participants brought back. Repeatedly, they returned to a harder truth: the women doing this work are, in large part, unrecognised.

“These women make incredible efforts. They take incredible risks, at the expense of their own lives. And despite that, they have no institutional or official recognition. They have no official status as social actors,” Bahloul said. “They work today as volunteers, and that is simply unacceptable.”

Asked directly whether UN Human Rights views the Mourchidates and Badian Gokh as human rights defenders in their own right, Wiener didn’t hesitate.

“Yes, they are actually strengthening local action in favour of human rights,” he said. “We need such a bottom-up approach, based on a detailed knowledge of family and community dynamics.”

More than a pledge, a plan of action

The Plan is not aspirational language alone. Adopted by participants on the conference’s final day, the Dakar Plan of Action on the Role of Women in the Religious Sphere states plainly that sacred books, in themselves, do not discriminate against women, in view of the link between text and context.

But rather it’s certain human interpretations that reflect an instrumentalization of religion for political or economic ends or the perpetuation of a system of patriarchal domination.

The Plan goes further, arguing that faith also carries the power to repair what it’s been used to justify.

“The ethical and spiritual foundations of religions and beliefs can help to combat polarization and conflict, while promoting reconciliation,” the Plan states.

The Plan also names what needs to change and what is the best way forward to achieve that change.

The role, legal status, funding and protection of the Mourchidates in Mauritania, the Badian Gokh in Senegal, and many women religious or community leaders, appears essential.

The Plan also sets out seven objectives, among them developing an interfaith commentary on women’s status in religious institutions, and translating the Faith for Rights toolkit into Arabic and local languages.

Its scope also reaches beyond the West Africa region, by aiming to “contribute to the Global Alliance for Human Rights, which brings together a diversity of actors called upon to mobilize, each in their own sphere of influence, to defend, protect and promote human rights.”

The Global Alliance is the coalition UN Human Rights launched in Geneva in 2026 — governments, civil society, cities, faith communities and young people, organized around a call to imagine, dialogue and act, ahead of the 80th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 2028.

Faith for Rights is now one of its activations. Dakar, in other words, isn’t a self-contained event — it’s a regional chapter feeding into a considerably larger endeavour.

Wiener said the scale of that larger picture is the point.

“More than six billion people have a religion or belief as their personal affiliation,” he said.

That is more than 80 percent of the world’s population. “It’s also why we refer to the broad concept of ‘faith-based actors’, which also includes anyone in an informal leadership position, notably women and youth. That actually is the entry point,” Wiener added.

Some participants left Dakar wary the momentum wouldn’t last.

“What frightens me is that this becomes one more meeting among many that remains just a moment, and isn’t followed by anything concrete,” Bahloul said.

Dramé said that what she hopes for from this network is that it stays alive and dynamic.

That hope has precedent. Elsewhere in the Faith for Rights framework, momentum has outlasted a closing session before. Just last June, young participants from an earlier peer-learning meeting in Bangkok facilitated working group discussions in Geneva and briefed a side event of the UN Human Rights Council directly — with ambassadors listening before they get to speak.

“Usually, you have the ambassadors reading their statements at the beginning and then listening. With their agreement, we changed the order. They first listened to the youth, and then they reacted to the recommendations from our physical hubs in Cairo, Rome, Geneva and online,” Wiener said.

Another peer-learning week for youth faith actors in Cairo last February was cost-effective thanks to co-organization by the Al Azhar Observatory for Combating Extremism, the British University in Egypt and the Dominican Institute for Oriental Studies.

“Partnerships and creativity can also make things possible,” Wiener explained.

But creativity has a ceiling. Bringing people back to the table for what comes next — the interfaith commentary the Dakar Plan of Action calls for, the translations, a standing network of young women faith actors — is a different scale of ask.

Dakar produced a plan, not just a pledge: seven commitments, written and adopted. What happens to them now is a question of funding. The network exists. The commitments exist. What’s required is the money to carry them out.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations (UN).

Source: APO

Angolan women and children displaced by drought into Namibia face serious human rights abuses arising from a lack of safe and legal migration pathways for people forced across borders by natural disasters, Amnesty International said in a new report. 

The report, “The Drier It Gets The Longer You Have To Walk, The Deeper You Have To Dig” – The Human Rights Impacts Of Drought-induced Displacement On Angolan Women & Children In Namibia, documents the devastating consequences of recurrent drought in southern Angola and the human rights impacts experienced by those displaced into Namibia, including persistent fear of arrest, detention and deportation, which in turn influences their daily decisions about whether to seek healthcare and other services.  

“Namibian authorities must establish a rights-based approach to migration, ensuring that people displaced by drought and other natural disasters can access basic rights, including registration and documentation.” Said Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa.

“The protection of already marginalized Angolans who are forced to move to Namibia in search of livelihoods is not just a humanitarian concern. This is a human rights crisis that demands international solidarity, including legal protection against refoulement,” said Tigere Chagutah.

Between May 2024 and May 2026, Amnesty International interviewed at least 167 people, including displaced people, community leaders, government officials, representatives of civil society organizations (CSOs), academics, and members of the UN Country Team.

At the time of publication, Nambian government officials had not responded to Amnesty International’s request for comment.

Southern Angola, particularly Cunene, Huíla and Namibe provinces, has been among the hardest hit by recurring droughts, which have been exacerbated by El Niño.

Together with long-standing structural vulnerabilities, these conditions have  undermined traditional pastoral and farming systems, eroded people’s resilience and forced them to migrate to Namibia in search of safety, food, water, work, and essential services. 

Women and children are disproportionately affected, often taking these journeys under great risk.  

A young climate activist told Amnesty International that drought-induced displacement is not a simple story of people “running from drought”, but a rational response to collapsing systems. “The drier it gets, the longer you have to walk, the deeper you have to dig,” he said.

Namibian response to Angolan displacement

The report notes that Angolans displaced by drought have limited ways to regularize their stay in Namibia, as the current immigration and protection laws do not reflect the realities of climate-driven displacement. This has forced many people into irregular status as they cross the border in search of food, water, grazing land, healthcare, family support, and work following the droughts which destroys crops, livestock, and livelihoods.

In 2026, the Namibian Ministry of Home Affairs immigration control programme announced that more than 1,000 Angolan nationals had been returned to Angola after being found in the country without regular immigration status.

On 4 June 2025, Amnesty International witnessed Namibian authorities round up about 40 Angolan nationals, including women and children, at a community centre in Opuwo, and transport them the same day to the Ruacana border – over 100km away – for handover to Angolan authorities, without individualized screening, information about asylum or protection options, or assessment of the risks upon return. The absence of individual examination raises serious concerns under the prohibition of collective expulsion and the principle of non-refoulement.

In other instances, Angolan children have also been subject to government-facilitated forcible returns without sufficient information being made publicly available to establish whether appropriate safeguards were applied.

The report highlights that Namibia’s existing immigration framework does not adequately respond to the circumstances of people displaced across the border by drought. Although Angolan passport holders can enter Namibia visa-free through official border posts for limited periods, this does not provide a right to work, longer-term residence or a dedicated protection pathway.

Many people from drought-affected border communities also lack passports or other documentation and use informal crossing points. Once in Namibia without regular status, they have few accessible options to regularize their stay. This has left thousands of Angolans in fear of arrest, detention and deportation, a fear that shapes daily decisions about whether to seek healthcare and other services. 

Amnesty International found that for those already living in northern Namibia, housing, water and sanitation conditions fell far short of international law and standards. Many families live in makeshift shelters, built from branches, plastic and cardboard, in severely overcrowded conditions or, in some cases, entirely without shelter.

The report details how undocumented Angolans were charged higher fees in hospitals than Namibian nationals, pushing them to delay treatment until illness became severe, and avoiding clinics altogether for fear that health facilities were linked to immigration enforcement.

“We only go when the pain is too much; otherwise, we just lie down and wait,” one woman said.

Amnesty International calls on Namibian authorities to honour its international and regional legal obligations by ensuring that displaced Angolans can access legal protections, including registration and documentation needed to access rights. State authorities must conduct individual assessments before deportations and consider the human risk associated with return.

High-income, historically high-emitting states have heightened obligations in relation to climate action, while states that are able to do so must provide international cooperation and assistance, including adequate climate finance, according to their capacity, to support countries such as Angola and Namibia in adaptation, drought preparedness, resilience-building and addressing loss and damage.

“This reality underscores the need for the international community to recognize the injustice faced by these communities and respond with robust cooperation and support. It cannot wait,” said Tigere Chagutah.

Angola’s failure to invest in adaptation and preparedness

Angola’s investment in climate adaptation, drought preparedness, and livelihood protection has remained uneven because of limited finance, weak institutional capacity, inadequate climate-monitoring infrastructure and continued dependence on donor-supported emergency and resilience programmes.

The report shows how gaps in early warning systems, water infrastructure, veterinary support, and social protection mechanisms have contributed to the progressive erosion of pastoral and subsistence farming systems.

“Drought and the increasing risks posed by climate change cannot absolve the government from its legal obligation to protect people’s rights to life, food, water, health, a healthy environment and an adequate standard of living,” said Tigere Chagutah

“Angolan authorities must take urgent action to honour their legal obligations by putting in place safeguards to protect the drought affected through drought preparedness and climate adaptation mechanisms and protect communities at risk of displacement.”

Background

Between January and July 2021, more than 7,000 Angolans, mainly women, including pregnant and lactating women, children and older persons, crossed into northern Namibia following consecutive years of severe drought and food insecurity in southern Angola. Drought and food insecurity have continued to contribute to cross-border movement in subsequent years, including during renewed severe drought conditions in 2023 and 2024. However, the true scale of drought-related displacement over this period is unknown due to the absence of comprehensive reception, registration, or data collection systems.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Amnesty International.

Source: APO

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The Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Blade Nzimande, welcomed the Minister of Finance, Mr. Enoch Godongwana, to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), describing the visit as an important affirmation of the role of science, technology and innovation (STI) in strengthening South Africa’s economic resilience, industrial modernisation and inclusive growth.

Minister Nzimande said the engagement underscored a shared understanding that South Africa’s long-term prosperity depends on the country’s ability to deliberately harness scientific and technological capabilities for development.

“Science, technology, and innovation are not a luxury or an add-on. They are a strategic necessity and a foundational feature of national development,” Minister Nzimande said.

The Minister reiterated the Department of Science, Technology, and Innovation’s commitment to placing ST&I at the centre of government, education, industry, and society, in line with the country’s efforts to build a more knowledge-intensive and innovation-led economy.

He highlighted the CSIR’s standing as Africa’s premier public research institution and its contribution to practical solutions in areas central to South Africa’s development, including digital technologies, advanced manufacturing, health innovation, energy security, food production, human settlements, and logistics.

Minister Nzimande further noted that the CSIR’s work demonstrates how multidisciplinary research can respond directly to national priorities and improve the quality of life of South Africans, citing the organisation’s support during the Covid-19 pandemic and its interventions following floods in KwaZulu-Natal.

During the engagement, Minister Godongwana emphasised that innovation is critical to overcoming the country’s fiscal constraints.

“Across the public sector, we are called upon to do more with limited resources while responding to growing demands from citizens,” said Minister Godongwana.

“In this context, innovation is essential. Institutions such as the CSIR help government identify smarter, more efficient, and more sustainable ways of delivering services and addressing complex development challenges.

The Minister further highlighted that the visit forms part of National Treasury’s commitment to strengthening intergovernmental relations and enhancing oversight of public entities. He noted that understanding how public institutions create societal value is as vital as promoting sound financial management.

Her lauded the CSIR’s capability to translate scientific knowledge into practical solutions that target national priorities, specifically noting impact in digital technologies and data-driven public decision-making; advanced manufacturing and logistics optimisation; health innovation and sustainable energy solutions as well as service delivery support to improve outcomes for citizens.

Minister Godongwana further stated that “the CSIR’s mandate directly aligns with the government’s vision of building an ethical, capable, and developmental state and asserted that a developmental state requires advanced scientific and technological capabilities to drive industrial competitiveness, sustain economic growth and create long-term national capability.”

The visit forms part of the DSTI’s core mantra of placing science, technology, and innovation at the centre of government, education, industry, and society. Furthermore, it also aimed to showcase how the CSIR is using its strategic research and development capabilities to address South Africa’s most urgent developmental challenges.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of South African Government.

Source: APO

AXIAN Group and the African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) have launched a major women’s financial inclusion programme to expand access to finance and business support for more than 34,000 women-led enterprises in five African countries.

Supported by the African Development Bank’s Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) initiative and the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi), the programme aims to address one of the biggest constraints facing women-owned businesses in Africa – limited access to finance.

Africa has the highest rate of female entrepreneurship worldwide, yet women entrepreneurs still face an estimated $49 billion financing gap.

The programme will be implemented through AXIAN Group’s digital financial services platforms, Mixx (https://apo-opa.co/4xtzsuw) and Mvola, which integrate digital lending, financial literacy training, business development services and digital inclusion initiatives to help women entrepreneurs grow their businesses and improve their access to formal financial services.

It comprises two complementary components. The first will provide tailored digital financial products and services to 34,000 women-led micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in Madagascar, Tanzania and Senegal. The second will deliver financial literacy, digital skills and entrepreneurship training to 25,000 women across Madagascar, Tanzania, Senegal, Togo and Comoros.

The programme will leverage mobile money services, digital lending solutions and alternative credit assessment capabilities to reach women entrepreneurs who have traditionally been underserved by conventional financial systems.

Women-owned businesses represent one of Africa’s greatest untapped economic opportunities, yet they continue to face barriers to accessing the financial tools needed to expand, create jobs and contribute more fully to their local economies. Through this partnership, AXIAN and the African Development Bank aim to change that.

“Across Africa, millions of women are already running successful businesses. The challenge is not entrepreneurship. It is access to finance, to digital tools and to opportunities for growth,” said Erwan Gelebart, CEO of AXIAN Digibank and Fintech. “Through Mixx and MVola, we are using technology and financial innovation to support women entrepreneurs in building stronger businesses, creating jobs and participating more fully in the digital economy. This programme is about unlocking opportunity at scale.”

Melissa Basque-Roux, Coordinator of the African Development Bank’s AFAWA initiative, said that although women entrepreneurs are central to Africa’s economic transformation, too many still face barriers to accessing finance, digital tools and business support needed to grow.

“Through AFAWA and We-Fi, the African Development Bank is pleased to support this partnership with AXIAN, Mixx and MVola. The partnership will expand tailored digital financial services, strengthen financial literacy and unlock new opportunities for women-led businesses across the continent,” she said.

The programme will focus on five priorities: expanding access to digital finance for women-led businesses, strengthening financial and digital literacy, developing financial products tailored to women entrepreneurs, accelerating digital inclusion through mobile technology, and supporting women-owned businesses to transition to and thrive in the formal economy.

Implementation will be led by Mixx & MVola, in partnership with local operating companies in participating countries, combining regional expertise with country-level execution to maximise impact and reach.

The initiative builds on the African Development Bank’s broader support for AXIAN Telecom. In January 2025, the Bank approved a $160 million senior corporate loan to expand digital connectivity and financial inclusion across nine African countries, including dedicated funding for 22,000 women entrepreneurs in Madagascar.

As Africa’s digital economy continues to grow, AXIAN and the African Development Bank believe technology plays a critical role in creating a more inclusive financial system by equipping women entrepreneurs with the tools, capital and skills needed to build sustainable businesses and create jobs.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).

Contact:
Emeka Anuforo
Communication and External Relations
African Development Bank
media@afdb.org

About AXIAN:
AXIAN is a pan-African infrastructure and services group operating in 21 countries and specialising in five sectors with strong growth potential: energy, digibank & fintech, real estate, financial services and telecoms. With over 9,200 bold and passionate employees, AXIAN is a partner in the socio-economic transformation of the countries in which it operates, systematically ensuring the positive and sustainable impact of its activities on the daily lives of as many people as possible. As a member of the United Nations Global Compact Initiative, AXIAN Group is committed to integrating its 10 principles at the core of its current and future strategies.

About AFAWA:
The African Development Bank’s Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) initiative aims to unlock financing for women-owned and women-led businesses across Africa by addressing structural barriers that limit access to finance and growth opportunities.

About We-Fi:
The Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi) is a global partnership dedicated to supporting women-owned and women-led businesses in developing countries by improving access to finance, markets, technology, and capacity-building.

About the African Development Bank Group:
The African Development Bank Group is Africa’s premier development finance institution. It comprises three distinct entities: the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). On the ground in 41 African countries with an external office in Japan, the Bank contributes to the economic development and the social progress of its 54 regional member states. For more information: www.AfDB.org

Source: APO

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The 2026 summer season confirms the shift in the scale of air traffic for Airports of Morocco (formerly the National Airports Office – ONDA), with historic traffic levels recorded at several of the Kingdom’s airports.

These summer peaks are part of a growth trajectory that is now structural, Airports of Morocco stated in a press release, noting that at Casablanca Mohammed V, one of the highlights of this season was recorded during the first weekend of August with a historic peak of 46,439 passengers welcomed in 24 hours.

This intensification of activity is evident across the network. Marrakech-Menara crossed the threshold of 30,000 passengers in a single day, while Rabat-Salé recorded 9,226 passengers welcomed in one day, Agadir-Al Massira also welcomed 11,973 passengers on a peak day, and Tangier-Ibn Battouta saw 13,309 passengers.

The most significant increases were observed in Dakhla and Tetouan, with respective rises of 45.2% and 36.14% during their peak days.

These summer peaks are part of a now-structural growth trajectory. After crossing the record threshold of 36.3 million passengers in 2025, national air traffic continues to accelerate, confirming the growing role of airports in the Kingdom’s dynamic of openness and appeal.

This capacity to absorb growing volumes while maintaining operational quality constitutes one of the major pillars of the transformation undertaken as part of the “Airports 2030” strategy.

Capacity expansion, infrastructure modernization, the digitalization of services, and the optimization of passenger journeys are thus accompanying changing travel habits and preparing the network for the next stages of its growth.

This performance also relies on the collective mobilization of the entire airport ecosystem. Alongside Airports of Morocco, the Mohammed V Foundation for Solidarity, the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN), the Customs and Excise Administration (ADII), the Royal Gendarmerie, as well as the airline Royal Air Maroc (RAM) are combining their expertise and resources to support these traffic peaks.

“Airports of Morocco is thus committing to a transformation matching this new scale of traffic, with the ambition of sustainably strengthening the network’s capacities, accelerating air connectivity, and making airport performance a determining factor in Morocco’s international attractiveness,” the press release concludes.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Kingdom of Morocco.

Source: APO

Dr Allan Mugarura had just completed a grueling night shift in the maternity unit at Mubende Regional Referral Hospital when his phone rang late in the evening of 15 May 2026. Uganda had declared an outbreak of Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus.

As a trained member of Uganda’s national Emergency Medical Team (EMT), Dr Mugarura was asked one question: Was he ready to deploy?

He agreed without hesitation, packed his bags and set off through the night for Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala.

“Once it was clear that I was ready to deploy, I was asked to travel right away,” Dr Mugarura recalls. “This required travelling in the night, using improvised means, including a motorbike and a car, so that I could deploy in less than 24 hours.”

The call that tested preparedness

At Mulago, Dr Mugarura joined other EMT members who had responded to the same urgent call but the Ebola Treatment Unit was not yet ready to receive patients. The team immediately began mobilizing supplies, setting up wards, positioning beds and organizing the logistics needed to receive the first confirmed patients transferred from Nakasero Hospital.

Within 24 hours of the outbreak declaration, the treatment unit was fully operational and ready to admit patients.

“The work required being selfless and being able to mobilize and participate in the response in under 24 hours to provide care and save lives,” Dr Mugarura says. “This quick action enabled the Mulago Ebola Treatment Unit to admit the patients within 24 hours of the national declaration.”

The deployment presented immediate challenges. Most of the patients had crossed into Uganda from the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo and spoke mainly French, creating a major language barrier, with most responders resorting to the use of mobile phones to translate interactions.

Clinicians in the treatment unit also took responsibility for collecting samples from suspected patients, a critical role previously restricted to dedicated laboratory teams.

From weeks of delay to rapid action

Before Uganda established a standing Emergency Medical Team, setting up isolation and treatment capacity during an outbreak could take two to four weeks. The Ministry of Health had to identify volunteers from scratch, secure equipment and withdraw health workers from facilities that were already overstretched.

The national EMT model transformed this approach. Today, a roster of trained professionals can be mobilized at short notice.

“There is a lot of value that can be attributed to the EMTs,” explains Dr Rony Bahatungire, Acting Commissioner for Clinical Services in Uganda’s Ministry of Health. “Now, only a few members are drawn from any one health facility, so there is minimal disruption to routine service provision.”

From seven trainers to a national network

Uganda’s EMT journey began in December 2021, when the Ministry of Health, supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Malteser International, conducted the country’s first regional EMT training in Entebbe.

WHO trained an initial group of seven Ugandan trainers, who then shared their expertise with health workers across the country. The training covered clinical case management, infection prevention, leadership, logistics, mass-casualty events and emergency operations.

Practical simulations in Kamuli, Lugazi, Buwenge and Jinja strengthened operational readiness by testing disease detection, treatment-unit establishment and safe patient transport. Lessons from these exercises informed improvements in treatment-site layouts, tent specifications and emergency logistics.

In June 2024, the Ministry of Health formalized a costed roadmap for establishing six regional teams across Central, Mid-Western, South-Western, West Nile, Eastern and Northern Uganda.

By 19 May 2026, Uganda had 148 rostered EMT members available for immediate deployment. Additional training increased the pool to approximately 354 professionals, bringing the country closer to its national target of 480 members.

Rapid deployment saves lives

The system demonstrated its lifesaving potential during the January 2025 Sudan virus disease response. A 44-member national EMT arrived at Mulago Hospital within two hours of deployment. Within 12 hours, the full team was operational.

The outbreak recorded a case fatality rate of 11.1%, a significant reduction from historical rates of 41% to 70%. Every patient admitted after the index case survived.

During the 2026 Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak, Uganda recorded 20 confirmed cases and two deaths. Eighteen of the confirmed cases were admitted to the Ebola Treatment Unit at Mulago National Referral Hospital, where one died, resulting in a 5.6% case fatality rate among patients admitted to the unit.

“These results show that rapid deployment can save lives, but that speed must be built before an outbreak begins,” says Dr Kasonde Mwinga, WHO Representative in Uganda. “When we invest in trained people, tested systems and essential supplies, emergency teams can move within hours and patients can receive timely care. Uganda’s progress is encouraging, and we must continue strengthening this readiness to protect communities at home and across the region.

When readiness goes beyond borders

Uganda’s growing emergency response capacity has also become an asset for regional health security. Following a bilateral agreement with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, treatment centers were expanded in Aru and Kasenyi following the signing of the memorandum of understanding on 23 June 2026.

Uganda deployed 55 EMT members to support the two centers, with 27 responders sent to Aru and 28 to Kasenyi. This marked the country’s first cross-border deployment of its national Emergency Medical Team in support of a neighbouring country.

Sustaining the momentum

Despite the progress, important gaps remain. Uganda is working towards formal international classification of its EMT and greater self-sufficiency. The teams need additional tents, generators, water and power systems, and improved warehousing, alongside sustainable financing for continued training and roster maintenance.

“We have built a strong national foundation, but the next step is to make the team fully self-sufficient and internationally classified,” says Lydia Namwanje, National EMT Coordinator at Uganda’s Ministry of Health. “Uganda still needs to close the training gap, strengthen its national training capacity and secure sustainable financing.”

Dr Mugarura’s overnight journey from Mubende to Mulago captures the transformation taking place. Uganda is moving away from assembling emergency responses after a crisis begins and towards maintaining a trained, agile national force that is ready when the call comes.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of WHO Regional Office for Africa.

Source: APO

In the stifling heat of Mongbwalu General Reference Hospital in Ituri Province, the epicentre of the ongoing Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, the clatter of disinfection buckets echoes through the corridors. The scent of chlorine lingers in the air as health workers dash from ward to ward.

Amid the bustle, Nadège Esangowale Yangala walks with quiet determination. An Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) specialist, she is on the frontlines of the Ebola response, working as a consultant with the World Health Organization (WHO).

“When I leave a health facility knowing the staff are better protected and able to work safely, I know our collective efforts are saving lives,” says Yangala, who has worked in public health for 13 years.

Since the outbreak was declared in mid-May 2026, Yangala has been part of the frontline response, helping health facilities strengthen infection prevention and control. Her mission is vital: protect health workers and patients while reinforcing community trust.

“IPC and WASH are the first line of defence against Ebola,” she says. “Without strict measures, hospitals can become places where the virus spreads.”

When Ebola strikes, health facilities become high-risk environments. Every consultation, every patient and every procedure carries potential exposure. Proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE), strict hand hygiene and rigorous patient triage are essential. Yangala works to ensure these practices become routine because they are key to preventing transmission and stopping the virus from spreading.

Every day, she assesses infection prevention measures and works with health teams to strengthen them. She helps ensure clear separation between clean and contaminated areas, improve hand hygiene and triage stations at facility entrances, and ensure patients move safely through designated care pathways.

She recalls a visit to Mongbwalu General Reference Hospital where she found the triage desk located inside a crowded waiting room. Within 48 hours, working with the local team and partners including WHO, Médecins Sans Frontières, Action Against Hunger and UNICEF, the space was completely reorganized. Mandatory triage was moved to the entrance, foot-operated handwashing stations were installed and a temporary isolation area was created.

Days later, a person suspected of having Ebola was identified and safely isolated on arrival, preventing exposure to other patients and unprotected staff.

But Yangala’s work extends far beyond infrastructure. Much of her time is devoted to training and mentoring health workers in early detection, immediate isolation, the safe donning and removal of protective equipment, medical waste management and decontamination.

She does more than teach. She observes, corrects and encourages. “Every training session and every protocol properly applied is one less chain of transmission,” she says.

With WHO’s support, Yangala leads practical field training, distributes IPC supplies, helps improve access to safe water and strengthens the safe management of medical waste.

In just two months, 13 health facilities in Mongbwalu Health Zone were brought up to IPC standards, while around 430 personnel—including healthcare workers, traditional healers, IPC-WASH supervisors, decontamination teams and safe burial teams—received training and on-site mentorship.

Challenges remain significant. Interruptions in the supply of water, soap, chlorine and protective equipment, staff fatigue and resistance to change continue to test the response. Yet Yangala remains convinced that every action matters.

Over the months, she has witnessed a remarkable shift. Hand hygiene and equipment disinfection have become routine. Patient flows are now clearly organized in almost all supported facilities. Health workers increasingly see IPC not as an added burden, but as essential protection for themselves and their families.

She remembers one nurse who initially dismissed the new practices as too demanding. A few weeks later, she watched him train his colleagues with discipline and conviction. “These simple actions save lives,” he would tell them.

For Yangala, that transformation is as much a human victory as it is a professional one. The impact of her work—and that of her colleagues—is reflected in the renewed confidence of health workers, the solidarity among teams and the reassurance of people seeking care.

Behind every handwashing station installed, every training delivered and every supervisory visit lies a single purpose: making health facilities safer and saving lives.

Yangala’s work demonstrates the vital role of infection prevention and control in the Ebola response. She helps ensure that health workers can provide care safely, patients can seek treatment with confidence, and communities continue to trust their health facilities.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of WHO Regional Office for Africa.