Latest news from the REACH Network of African-led research institutions, Ministries of Health, policy advocates, and implementation partners working together to reduce preventable child mortality through evidence-based, equitable and scalable solutions.

Health leaders raise the REACH call from Geneva

As global health leaders gathered in Geneva for the 78^th World Health Assembly (WHA78), an extraordinary meeting of health ministers and key public health representatives from across the globe raised their voices to put child survival at the top of the global health agenda.

At a ministerial roundtable – co-hosted by the Malian Ministry of Health and Social Development, CVD-Mali, and the REACH Network – health leaders from sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia joined forces to champion integrated strategies for the delivery of life-saving care to children.

REACH Co-chair and CVD-Mali Director, Professor Samba Sow, described the gathering as a turning point for African-led solutions grounded in national ownership, solid evidence, and responsible stewardship of life-saving interventions and medications.

“We’re seeing real momentum for cost-effective approaches that deliver results,” said Professor Sow. “Integration isn’t just the right thing to do – it works.”

Dr Roger Kamba, Minister of Health, Hygiene, and Social Welfare of the Democratic Republic of Congo, left, and Professor Sow, Co-chair of the REACH Network, exchange greetings at the REACH Ministerial Roundtable

Integration of interventions and services is highly effective but must also be aligned with functional systems. This requires collaboration across borders and sectors as well as accountability and transparency.

But these will be the non-negotiables if every child in need is to be reached.

The REACH Network exists to facilitate coordination and integration between participating countries, to build bridges with new partners and countries, and to amplify calls for child survival to be at the very forefront of global health.

The Network will be building on the momentum of the Geneva roundtable to ensure that ministers and partners work together in the service of a simple but powerful message:

No child should die from a preventable cause, anywhere, ever.

Professor Samba Sow, Co-chair REACH Network

At the 78th World Health Assembly, I had the honour of co-hosting a high-level Ministerial Roundtable on child survival with my esteemed REACH Network Co-chair, Honourable Minister Muhammad Ali Pate. It was a profound moment – due to the urgency of our shared mission, but also due to the strength and character of the leadership present in the room.

What made this gathering so powerful was not the speeches, but the solidarity. Ministers from across Africa and South-East Asia came together, not to present isolated successes, but to align around a collective truth: no child should die from a preventable cause. Not now. Not ever.

The REACH Network was created to serve this exact purpose – to be a platform for countries to lead on their own terms, while supporting one another through shared learning, data, and policy alignment. At the Roundtable, we saw this vision come to life. From Mali to Niger, from Indonesia to Senegal, countries are taking bold steps to integrate delivery, to do more with limited resources, and to be accountable always to the families we serve.

I was deeply moved by the clarity and courage shown by my Ministerial colleagues. In particular, the words of the Malian Minister of Health and Social Development, Colonel Dr Assa Badiallo Touré, stood out: “REACH is more than a programme – it is a political choice to invest in children.” That choice is not always easy. It requires confronting inefficiencies, sharing power, and shifting from pilot projects to real, systems-level change.

Looking ahead, our task is clear. We must continue to build on this momentum, through ongoing ministerial dialogue, through cross-border collaboration, and by ensuring that our policies are guided by data, equity, and the lived realities of our communities.

REACH is not a solution in itself – but it is a space in which we can create solutions together. I am grateful to our partners who stand with us, and even more grateful to the Ministers and country teams who are leading the way.

Now is the time to turn commitments into action. Children across Africa and Asia are looking to us – we must not fail them.

You can now engage with the REACH Network and keep up to date with the latest news and developments on LinkedIn.