The WHO pandemic agreement - securing Africa’s leadership in a fragmenting global order

In May 2025, the World Health Assembly adopted the historic WHO Pandemic Agreement, aimed at strengthening global pandemic preparedness and equity. This legally binding treaty emerged from years of negotiation shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic’s stark inequities—particularly those experienced by African nations. While the treaty introduces important innovations, notably the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing system, significant challenges remain. Ambiguities in equity commitments, geopolitical fragmentation and rising nationalism threaten effective implementation. For Africa, realising the treaty’s promise requires robust legal frameworks, enhanced manufacturing and regulatory capacities and sustainable financing mechanisms that reduce donor dependency. This analysis critically examines the treaty’s provisions and political economy, emphasising the need for enforceable obligations, continental leadership and multi-sectoral accountability. We propose the establishment of a Pandemic Peer Review Mechanism to embed political accountability at national and regional levels. Only through coordinated African leadership, institutional investment and global solidarity can the Pandemic Agreement deliver equitable health outcomes in a fracturing global order.