KICC Director of Business Development Services Geoffrey Thande with Dean of Aga Khan University Medical College, EA, Prof Lukoye Atwoli, during a facility tour at KICC where the University is set to host the 2026 World Health Summit Regional Meeting. Photo/ AKUH.Kenya will
host the 2026 World Health Summit (WHS) Regional Meeting, which will bring
together more than 2,000 global health leaders, policymakers, innovators and
researchers.
The hosting
will make Kenya the 13th country to host the WHS Regional Meeting, joining the
ranks of Singapore, Brazil, Japan, Switzerland, Canada, Portugal, Iran, Uganda,
Italy, the United States, Australia and India.
The
announcement was made during a facility tour by the Aga Khan University (AKU)
at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), the official venue of
the summit. The meeting is scheduled to take place from April 27–29, 2026,
under the theme: “Reimagining Africa’s Health Systems: Innovation, Integration,
and Interdependence.”
The 2026
Summit is expected to bring together African Health Ministers, leaders from
Kenya’s Ministry of Health, Africa CDC, WHO, Unicef, the African Union,
alongside representatives from leading universities, civil society, the private
sector and global development partners.
Speaking
during the tour of Kenyatta International Conference Centre, Prof Lukoye
Atwoli, Dean of AKU Medical College, said the upcoming summit is a great health
milestone for Kenya and Africa at large.
“This is a
significant milestone not only for our University and Kenya but for Africa’s
health and development agenda. The summit will spotlight African-led solutions
while shaping the broader global health conversation,” he said.
The KICC management said the summit
underscores Kenya’s rising profile as a preferred Meetings, Incentives, Conferences,
and Exhibitions (MICE) destination.
Geoffrey Thande, KICC's Director of Business Development, said: “KICC continues to spearhead strategic collaborations with partners such as the
Aga Khan University and other local and international organisations to secure
world-class conventions, ensuring Kenya’s visibility and competitiveness on the
global stage.”
He added
that the MICE sector is a vital driver of economic growth, aligned with
Kenya’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA). He said the
2026 summit will inject an estimated Sh3.8 billion into the economy
through the multiplier effect of business events tourism.
The meeting will feature plenary sessions, high-level dialogues, and collaborative workshops, producing actionable recommendations to advance Africa’s health priorities while contributing to the global health agenda.
