The World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Union (EU) have announced a new €8 million partnership aimed at accelerating the digital transformation of health systems in sub-Saharan Africa and expanding the adoption of WHO’s Global Digital Health Certification Network (GDHCN).
The agreement, unveiled on 14 October 2025 at the World Health Summit in Berlin, seeks to enhance pandemic preparedness and strengthen universal access to digital health services. Senior representatives, including Dr Yukiko Nakatani, WHO Assistant Director-General for Health Systems, and Mr Martin Seychell, EU Deputy Director-General for International Partnerships, emphasised that the collaboration will provide the technical, policy, and financial support needed to build resilient, data-driven health infrastructures across the region in line with the EU–AU Health Partnership.
The GDHCN, a system transferred to WHO in 2023, builds upon the European Union Digital COVID Certificate, which enabled the secure verification of vaccination and testing credentials across 76 countries. The initiative will help digitise the International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (Yellow Card), improve cross-border health verification, and reduce fraud, while ensuring privacy and data protection. Under the agreement, WHO will work closely with regional bodies such as the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) to help countries develop interoperable and trusted digital health systems.
Participation in the network is voluntary, and all personal health data will remain securely managed by each participating country. The EU’s investment forms part of its Global Gateway strategy and the Team Europe Initiative on the EU–AU Health Partnership, designed to foster collaboration and innovation in health governance. By empowering African nations to harness digital tools for healthcare delivery and emergency response, the partnership aims to strengthen health security and lay the groundwork for sustainable, person-centred health systems that serve future generations.