New publication highlights lessons from the 2025 NTD Programme Managers Meeting

Brazzaville (Congo) - ESPEN is pleased to announce the publication of a new article in BMC Proceedings summarizing key discussions and lessons from the 2025 Annual Meeting of National NTD Programme Managers in the WHO African Region, held in April 2025. The paper captures reflections from country programme managers, partners, and WHO teams at a critical moment for sustaining progress toward the WHO NTD Roadmap 2030.

The publication highlights how funding constraints, shifting donor landscapes, and competing health priorities are influencing NTD programme implementation across the region. Country experiences shared during the meeting underscored the growing importance of domestic resource mobilization, stronger integration of NTD services within national health systems, and improved coordination across sectors to protect hard-won elimination gains.

A key theme of the article is the role of innovation and digital transformation in strengthening programme resilience. The paper documents practical advances in digital surveillance, data analytics, geospatial planning, and emerging AI-enabled tools that are helping countries improve targeting, decision-making, and accountability in NTD programme delivery.

Overall, the article reinforces the message that achieving and sustaining NTD elimination will require country leadership, integrated service delivery, diversified financing, and strategic use of digital tools. The publication provides a valuable reference for countries and partners navigating a rapidly evolving health and financing environment.

🔗 Read the full open-access article:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12919-025-00357-x

Reference

Juma, E., Achu, D., Barry, A. et al. (2025). Strengthening funding and integration for NTD elimination: insights from the 2025 Annual Meeting of National NTD Programme Managers in the WHO African Region.BMC Proceedings, 20 (Suppl 3), 3. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12919-025-00357-x