The Smart Africa Board of Heads of State has officially validated the Smart Africa Digital Health Blueprint, marking a historic step toward creating a Single Digital Health Market SDHM across the continent. The announcement was made during the Transform Africa Summit 2025 in Conakry, Guinea, and positions the blueprint as the definitive framework for building interoperable, people-centered health systems in Africa. This validation aims to transform fragmented national health systems into a cohesive, secure, and continent-wide Africa Health Data Space.
The urgency of this initiative stems from Africa's pressing health challenges. Life expectancy across the continent averages just 64 years, compared to the global average of 72, while infant mortality stands at 47 deaths per 1,000 births, nearly double the worldwide average. Sub-Saharan Africa's annual health expenditure per person is a mere 79, compared to 1,015 globally. The blueprint addresses these gaps by ensuring that patient health information can follow individuals seamlessly across borders, thereby reducing preventable deaths caused by disconnected care.
At the heart of the blueprint is the establishment of technological and governance structures to facilitate secure health information exchange HIE across 42 member states. It provides a standards-based pathway for countries to implement solutions that strengthen system performance and foster innovation. Key pillars include interoperability and standards, robust governance and policy frameworks, and the development of modern technology platforms and infrastructure to support cross-border health data sharing.
