During the 2025 Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group (WBG), the Executive Director for Africa Group II (EDS13), Mr. Harold Tavares, along with colleagues and representatives from civil society organizations, participated in an event focusing on global health and development assistance priorities.
Mr. Tavares highlighted significant challenges facing the world today: over 4.5 billion people lack access to essential health services, and 2 billion face severe financial hardship when seeking care. He emphasized that ¡°emerging threats¡ªrelated to pandemics, climate change, or demographic shifts¡ªare further complicating the global health landscape.¡±
He stressed the importance of investing in health systems to improve human capital and drive economic growth and job creation. ¡°The health sector has the potential to create up to 40 million new jobs by 2030, with multiplier effects across related sectors,¡± he noted.
Mr. Tavares outlined the WBG¡¯s concrete commitments, including an initiative to deliver quality, affordable health services to 1.5 billion people by 2030. The goal is to strengthen health system resilience, reduce preventable maternal and child deaths, tackle noncommunicable diseases, and promote healthy longevity.
He also emphasized efforts to mitigate the risk of future pandemics by investing in health infrastructure, primary care preparedness, and local capacity building. Currently, the World Bank Group¡¯s health portfolio amounts to $27 billion across more than 160 projects.
Finally, Mr. Tavares underscored the importance of partnerships, referencing recent Board discussions with Professor Jos¨¦ Barroso, Chair of Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, about the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator initiative developed with the African Union and Africa CDC. ¡°In Africa, 99% of vaccines are imported; it is urgent to support local manufacturing, technology transfer, and regulatory capacity strengthening,¡± he concluded.
