23/08/2026
From Livingstone to Addis Ababa: The Next Chapter for African Physician Leadership
Three days of intense deliberation in Livingstone, Zambia, drew to a close this week as the World Medical Association and the Coalition of African National Medical Associations (CANMA) concluded their jointly organised African Physician Leadership Programme.
Even as the meeting closed, momentum was already building for what comes next. CANMA leaders met with a delegation from the Ethiopian Medical Association to begin preparations for the coalition's next gathering — and Addis Ababa has now been confirmed as the venue, with the Ethiopian Medical Association generously offering to host in August 2027.
Between now and then, physician leaders from across the continent will turn their attention to building the structures that will carry this pan-African organisation forward: drafting a constitution, defining its governance, and establishing first contacts with the African Union, the WHO Regional Office for Africa, and Africa CDC.
The WMA remains fully committed to supporting CANMA through this important next phase, as African physicians shape an organisation that reflects their own priorities and amplifies their collective voice on the global stage.
Photo: WMA Secretary General with CANMA and Ethiopian Medical Association Leaders.
