AMREF Health Africa Group Chief Executive Officer Dr Githinji Gitahi addresing the press.

Speaking during the Africa Health Collaborative Annual Convening 2026 in Nairobi, AMREF Health Africa Group Chief Executive Officer Dr Githinji Gitahi said the identification of imported cases underscored the importance of early detection, effective contact tracing and continuous preparedness across the health system.

Gitahi said Kenya had achieved 99.5 per cent contact tracing, describing the progress as critical in identifying people exposed to the virus, monitoring their health and ensuring those who develop symptoms receive timely care.

“The first gap is border surveillance. So far, there’s no other gap that I have seen,” said Gitahi. He noted that surveillance at points of entry was essential in identifying suspected cases early and connecting them to appropriate care.

He emphasised that early identification should prioritise patient safety and the prevention of further transmission rather than restricting access to healthcare.

“The particularly important case should have been identified before they cross over so that they get care. It’s not so that you avoid transmission. It’s not so that you chase them away. It’s so that the person is provided care, and then you avoid transmission,” he said.

Gitahi also raised concern over health workers contracting the disease, calling for consistent implementation of infection prevention and control procedures and adequate personal protective equipment in healthcare facilities.

He said preparedness should be a continuous process rather than a response activated only after an outbreak has occurred.

“Preparedness starts before the infection. And I think the preparedness should have been ongoing,” he said.

Comparing preparedness to fire safety, Gitahi observed that protective measures must be established and maintained before an emergency arises.

“You don’t buy the extinguisher when the fire breaks out. And you don’t service the extinguisher when the fire is ongoing,” he said.

He called for stronger adherence to infection prevention protocols across healthcare facilities, noting that protecting health workers was essential to maintaining the health system's capacity to respond to outbreaks.

“We don’t know whether it’s the equipment, whether it’s the procedure. And that should be continuous, and that must be continuous in every other hospital, not anywhere the index case was,” he said.

Gitahi said accessible, community-led primary healthcare remained central to protecting populations against infectious diseases and strengthening health security.

He explained that primary healthcare was defined by the first point of contact where people seek medical assistance, rather than the size or level of a health facility.

“If today you have an infection, or you feel like you may have a disease like Ebola, where do you go? That’s primary healthcare,” he said.

He added that strengthening primary healthcare would improve access to timely services, enhance early identification of illnesses and help prevent infections from spreading within communities.

The convening brings together institutions of higher learning, health sector partners and innovators to explore practical approaches to improving healthcare delivery, with a particular focus on developing solutions led by young Africans.

Amref International University Vice-Chancellor Professor Joachim Osur said the collaboration, involving nine institutions of higher learning and the Mastercard Foundation, seeks to improve employment opportunities for young people while supporting innovations that address health sector challenges.

Osur said the initiative was helping young people develop practical solutions, access mentorship and seed funding, test their ideas and connect with investors to scale up viable ventures.

He noted that some innovations being developed could support disease surveillance, health information management, faster diagnosis and improved access to healthcare services.

“The need for countries to strengthen global health security, to put in structures in place to fund and to get those innovations that can help us to quickly track diseases, quickly train people, quickly support communities,” Osur said.

He added that stronger collaboration between universities, governments, healthcare institutions and the private sector was necessary to ensure promising innovations translated into practical solutions for communities.

The partnership aims to create three million employment opportunities for young people across Africa by 2030 through direct employment and enterprises developed from supported innovations.

Through the convening, participating institutions are seeking to bridge the gap between health workforce training, employment and entrepreneurship while advancing solutions that respond to the continent’s evolving health needs.