Victoria Falls call to action on scaling‑up prevention, surveillance, and management of noncommunicable diseases in Africa

Abstract

We, the participants to the 2nd World Noncommunicable Disease (NCD) Federation Regional Meeting on NCDs in Africa held in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, January 12–14, 2023: 1. Acknowledge the role of the World NCD Federation, WHO, UNICEF, and CHAI in convening multidisciplinary experts from Ministries of Health, research and academic institutions, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), and the media. 2. Appreciate the opportunity to deliberate on issues, challenges, opportunities, and required actions to accelerate NCD prevention, surveillance, and management in Africa within the context of the COVID‑19 pandemic and other health emergencies. 3. Recall the 1st World NCD Federation African Regional Meeting (Gaborone, Botswana) and its Gaborone Call to Action (2018) to accelerate attainment of Sustainable Development Goal-3 (SDG-3). 4. Recognize that in 2019, NCDs were responsible for 37% of deaths in countries of the WHO African Region, which represents a rise from 24% in 2000. 5. Are concerned that health emergencies and disease epidemics such as HIV comorbidities, COVID‑19, and Ebola virus disease are eroding gains made by aggravating NCD morbidity and mortality, inter alia, through disruption of NCD prevention, surveillance, and management (continuum of care) programs. 6. Recognize that people with underlying health conditions, such as NCDs, have a higher risk of developing severe COVID‑19 complications and are more likely to die. 7. Are concerned that the NCD agenda for prevention, surveillance, and management in Africa continues to receive low priority in terms of funding and technical support. 8. Acknowledge that NCD risk factors and their determinants are increasing and becoming more complex, requiring a multisectoral approach to tackle them. 9. Note that globally accepted, cost‑effective intervention guidelines from the WHO and other NCD stakeholders, including access to digital health technologies among other innovations, present renewed opportunities for addressing NCD prevention, surveillance, and management in the African region. 10. Recognize the health workforce challenges in the African region specifically, the shortage of health professionals of diverse skill‑mix, in part due to migration of these professionals without adequate compensation to the countries of origin. 11. Governing Council of World NCD Federation to add one article from the Africa region in every issue of IJNCD by following the peer‑review process of journal. Cognizant of the rising burden of NCDs in Africa and the huge resource gap, we hereby call upon Member States, the World NCD Federation, WHO and partners, communities, and other relevant stakeholders to take the following actions.