The 3rd Regional Advisory Committee (RAC) Meeting
Strengthening health system resilience and multi-sectoral preparedness and response to health emergencies in Eastern and Southern Africa
18 Nov - 20 Nov 2025
Radisson Blu Hotel, Lusaka, Zambia
Countdown
Meeting agenda
08:00 – 09:00
hrs
Arrival and registration
IGAD/ ECSA-HC
Presenter / Panelists
Zambia
Chair / Moderator
09:00 – 09:10
hrs
Welcoming remarks
IGAD Executive Secretary
Presenter / Panelists
Zambia
Chair / Moderator
09:10 – 09:20
hrs
-
ECSA-HC Director General
Speaker
Zambia
Chair / Moderator
09:20 – 09:30
hrs
-
World Bank Country Manager, Zambia
Presenter / Panelists
Zambia
Chair / Moderator
09:30 – 09:45
hrs
Framing remarks on MPA program
Acting Practice Manager AFE Health Nutrition and Population & TTL, HEPRR Program, World Bank
Presenter / Panelists
-
Chair / Moderator
09:45 – 10:00
hrs
Official Opening Remarks
H.E Minister of Health, Zambia,
Presenter / Panelists
-
Chair / Moderator
10:00 – 10:30
hrs
Objectives of the RAC, and actions agreed during the last RAC
IGAD / ECSA
Presenter / Panelists
Zambia
Chair / Moderator
10:30 – 11:00
hrs
Group photo and networking
-
Presenter / Panelists
-
Chair / Moderator
11:00 – 12:00
hrs
Country implementation highlights
Ethiopia
Presenter / Panelists
Zambia
Chair / Moderator
13:00 – 14:00
hrs
Lunch
14:00 – 15:30
hrs
Panel discussion: Strengthening public health stewardship and capacities in East and Southern Africa: Call for an integrated approach
Presentation by WHO HQ: Current state of public health capacities and stewardship –global perspective
Panelists:
- Sohel Saikat, WHO HQ
- AFCDC (TBC)
- NPHIs (Ethiopia or Rwanda or Zambia)
- NPHI (West Africa)
- Director of Public Health. MOH (Kenya TBC)
Africa CDC (NPHI focal person)
- IANPHI
Presenter / Panelists
WHO AFRO
Chair / Moderator
15:30 – 17:00
hrs
Panel discussion:
Cross-border coordination and collaboration in health emergency preparedness and response: Experiences and lessons from Mpox outbreak response –
DRC, Burundi, Rwanda, Kenya, Africa CDC and WHO
Presenter / Panelists
IGAD/ECSA
Chair / Moderator
17:00-17:30
hrs
Networking time
08:30 - 09:00
hrs
Arrival
IGAD/ ECSA HC
Presenter / Panelists
09:00 - 10:30
hrs
Progress on Accelerating health manufacturing in Africa
Panel discussion:
Strengthening the capacity of local manufacturing of vaccines and pharmaceuticals (Policy maker, regulators and manufacturers)
Panelists:
Kenya, Ethiopia, and Rwanda, one local manufacturer, IFC, Afrexim, WIPO, and AFDB (TBC)
Presenter / Panelists
IGAD
Chair/Moderator
10:30 - 11:00
hrs
Networking
11:00-12:00
hrs
Digital best buys to enhance preparedness and response in health emergencies
World Bank/ECSA
Presenter/ Panelists
Zambia
Chair / Moderator
12:00 - 14:00
hrs
Networking and lunch
One hour closed session for Permanent Secretaries of MPA countries with WB, IGAD and ECSA
Presenter/ Panelists
14:00 – 15:15
hrs
Learning Agenda:
A key deliverable under the MPA
Reflections and endorsement of the RAC
World Bank / ECSA / IGAD
Presenter/ Panelists
World Bank
Chair / Moderator
15:15 – 15:45
hrs
Summary recommendations of the RAC and next steps
Evaluation of the RAC (15-minute individual survey)
15:45 – 16:00
hrs
Closing remarks
IGAD/ECSA/WB/Zambia
Field trip to selected Zambia Health Institutions
MOH, Zambia
Presenter / Panelists
08:30 - 09:00
hrs
Arrival
IGAD / ECSA HC
Presenter / Panelists
09:00 - 12:00
hrs
Two sites will be visited:
- NPHI
- TBD
MOH, Zambia
13:00
hrs
Lunch at Radisson Blu Hotel
Our Partners
Meeting Structure
17
November, 2025
Pre-RAC Meeting
A one-day technical session for Project Implementation Units (PIUs) from all participating countries. This session will focus on reviewing country-level progress, preparing inputs for the RAC, and harmonizing technical perspectives. To ensure consistency, depth, and comparability in country-level contributions, standardized presentation templates will be shared with all participating countries in advance of the meeting. These templates are designed to guide national teams in structuring their inputs around the following key areas: Key achievements, lessons learned, and challenges encountered and proposed solutions or support needs
18-19
Novemver, 2025
Main RAC Meeting
A high-level strategic meeting involving RAC members, country representatives, regional entities, and development partners. The agenda will include:
- Presentation of country and regional progress reports
- Review of implementation challenges and opportunities
Strategic discussions on regional collaboration and policy alignment
20
November, 2025
Field Visit
Delegates will participate in a field visitcoordinated by the Ministry of Health of Zambia, showcasing practical implementation of health emergency preparedness and response initiatives.