Health leaders from across Africa have consolidated their commitment to addressing the continent’s rising burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) at the Third International Conference for PEN-Plus in Africa (ICPPA 2026), held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The conference brought together government representatives, clinicians, development leaders, and stakeholders from three continents to forge a collective response to NCDs, which now represent a significant portion of Africa’s disease burden.
The resulting Call to Action outlines concrete commitments to fully implement PEN and PEN-Plus interventions—evidence-based frameworks for early detection, diagnosis, and long-term management of severe and chronic NCDs. Participants emphasized the need for substantially increased investment directed toward children and economically disadvantaged populations, ensuring equitable access to care across primary and first-referral health facilities. The WHO, development partners, and private sector organizations have been called upon to mobilize significantly greater financial resources to support these initiatives and achieve SDG targets by 2030.
Was this article helpful?
