World Health Organization African Region

What World Health Organization African Region does

The World Health Organization African Region (WHO AFRO) is one of six regional offices of the World Health Organization, a United Nations specialized agency headquartered in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo. WHO AFRO serves 47 African member states through a regional headquarters and country offices in each member state, providing technical guidance, capacity building, disease surveillance, emergency response coordination, and policy development across the continent. Core programmatic offerings include the PEN-Plus Regional Strategy for severe noncommunicable diseases, the Women Integrated Cancers Service in Africa (WICS), the Polio Eradication Programme, the Measles and Rubella Immunization Programme, and the Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP). WHO AFRO also developed the TaXSiM fiscal modeling tool to support member state tobacco taxation reform.

The organization's technology platform centers on health information dissemination through the afro.who.int website, supported by surveillance networks, vaccination logistics, and rapid response teams built over decades of polio eradication and outbreak response work. WHO AFRO is led by Regional Director Dr. Mohamed Yakub Janabi and governed by the Regional Committee for Africa, with programming coordinated across disease eradication, NCDs, emergency response, and health systems strengthening.

WHO AFRO is funded through assessed contributions from its 47 member states and voluntary contributions from donors including the Gates Foundation, Helmsley Charitable Trust, Gavi, UNICEF, Rotary International, US CDC, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and KSrelief. The organization delivers services as technical assistance and capacity building rather than commercial products, operating on a non-profit intergovernmental mandate rather than a market revenue model.

Name

World Health Organization African Region

Legal name

World Health Organization

Website

https://afro.who.int

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

WHO African Region is the UN specialized agency's regional office serving 47 African member states with technical assistance, disease surveillance, emergency response coordination, and programs spanning polio eradication, severe noncommunicable diseases, and cancer care.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Global Public Health Services

NAICS

Public Administration (92), Business Associations (813910), Social Assistance (624), Emergency and Other Relief Services (62423)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Global Health & Population Intergovernmental Bodies (BPADAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Health Governance, Interagency Coordination & Partnerships (HLAJAMAD), Emergency Health, Trauma Care & Public Health Response (BPAGAAAF), National/State/Local Immunization Program Offices (HLAJAHAA)

Keywords

• Public health services
• Disease eradication programs
• Health systems strengthening
• Emergency health response
• Noncommunicable disease care

Headquarters

HQ city

Brazzaville

HQ country

Congo - Brazzaville

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Member State Contributions: WHO AFRO receives assessed contributions from its 47 member states as part of the WHO global financing framework.
2. Voluntary Contributions and Grants: Funding from development partners, foundations, and donor countries supporting specific health programs and initiatives such as PEN-Plus, polio eradication, and emergency response.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

WHO AFRO provides technical leadership, policy guidance, and emergency response coordination for public health across its 47 African member states. Core offerings include the PEN-Plus strategy for severe noncommunicable diseases, the Women Integrated Cancers Service (WICS), the Polio Eradication Programme, Measles and Rubella immunization, the Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP), and capacity building through country offices. The organization delivers services as intergovernmental technical assistance rather than commercial products.

Product overview

The WHO African Region operates a comprehensive health information and service delivery platform spanning 47 member states. The core offering consists of health topic coverage (including Coronavirus, Ebola, HIV/AIDS, Malaria, Tuberculosis, and Noncommunicable Diseases), supported by specialized programmes such as PEN-Plus for severe NCDs at referral facilities, the Women Integrated Cancers Service (WICS), the Polio Eradication Programme, Measles/Rubella immunization, and the Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP). These are complemented by country-level news, publications, emergency updates, and multimedia resources accessible through the website.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PEN-Plus: A regional strategy to address severe noncommunicable diseases at first-level referral health facilities, including type 1 diabetes, sickle cell disease, rheumatic heart disease, and congenital heart diseases.
• Kick Out Polio

Products and services

• PEN-Plus A regional strategy to address severe noncommunicable diseases at first-level referral health facilities, focusing on type 1 diabetes, sickle cell disease, rheumatic heart disease, and congenital heart disease. The initiative operates in 20 countries with services delivered in over 120 district hospitals and has served over 170,000 patients with 1,750+ health workers trained.
• Women Integrated Cancers Service in Africa (WICS) An initiative to improve access to breast and cervical cancer detection, treatment, and care services in Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya, and Zimbabwe, launched with support from Roche.
• Polio Eradication Programme Comprehensive polio eradication initiative including vaccination campaigns, surveillance, outbreak response, and transition planning across the African Region, built on decades of developed surveillance networks, rapid response teams, and outbreak coordination mechanisms. The programme contributed to a 50% reduction in variant poliovirus detections in the first half of 2026 versus the same period in 2025.
• Measles and Rubella Immunization Programme Routine measles vaccination for children combined with mass immunization campaigns, supported by the Measles & Rubella Initiative partnership, including refugee and host community vaccination campaigns.
• Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) WHO programme that equips non-specialist health workers to provide mental health care where specialist services are limited across the African Region, including rights-based care expansion across West and Central Africa.
• WHO African Region Health Information Platform The main WHO African Region website providing health topics, news, publications, and country-level information across 47 member states in English, French, and Portuguese.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 170,000 patients attended PEN-Plus facilities across 20 countries
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.

• RochesupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Roche supports the Women Integrated Cancers Service in Africa (WICS) initiative launched by WHO AFRO in September 2023 to improve breast and cervical cancer detection, treatment, and care in Cote d'Ivoire, Kenya, and Zimbabwe.
• Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGPEI is a public-private partnership led by national governments with six core partners: WHO, Rotary International, US CDC, UNICEF, Gates Foundation, and Gavi. The partnership aims to eradicate polio worldwide. WHO AFRO plays a leading role in coordinating polio eradication activities across the African Region.
• Rotary InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRotary International is a core GPEI partner supporting polio eradication through advocacy, funding, and volunteer networks across Africa.
• Gavi, the Vaccine AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGavi is a GPEI partner providing vaccine financing and delivery support for immunization programs across Africa.
• Akwaaba TrustsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAkwaaba Trust provided support for the West and Central Africa Mental Health Intercountry Learning Gathering in Lomé, convened by WHO Regional Office for Africa.
• Wellcome TrustsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerWellcome Trust participates in mental health discussions and initiatives in the African Region, with Dr Kate Martin representing the organization at regional consultations.
• UNICEFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNICEF is a core GPEI partner providing vaccination support, social mobilization, and program implementation across African countries.
• US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCDC is a GPEI partner providing technical expertise, disease surveillance, and laboratory support for polio eradication in Africa.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/WHOAFRO
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/WHOAfricanRegion
• Facebookfacebook.com/WHOAFRO/?fref=nf
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/world-health-organization-african-region

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about World Health Organization African Region