Across Africa, we are witnessing an unprecedented rise in diabetes. This growing burden reflects a complex interplay of changing lifestyles, rising rates of overweight and obesity, and limited access to preventive and primary health services. The scale and speed of this trend demand urgent, coordinated, and sustained action.
This year, we mark World Diabetes Day under the theme “Diabetes Across Life Stages.” Diabetes spares no one. It affects children, adolescents, adults, and older persons alike — each life stage presenting unique challenges that call for tailored responses. The theme reminds us that prevention and care must extend across the entire life course.
In the WHO African Region, more than 24 million adults aged 20–79 currently live with diabetes. By 2050, this number is projected to reach 60 million — more than double today’s figure. Alarmingly, nearly half remain undiagnosed, silently facing escalating risks of severe complications, disability, and premature death. Over time, diabetes damages the heart, kidneys, eyes, and nerves, profoundly affecting individuals, families, and communities.
If this trajectory continues, it will overwhelm health systems, strain economies, and erode hard-won development gains.
We therefore need resilient, well-resourced health systems that deliver continuous, person-centred care — from prevention and early detection to effective treatment and lifelong support.
In 2024, African Member States endorsed the Framework for the Implementation of the Global Diabetes Compact in Africa, reaffirming their commitment to equitable and comprehensive care. Guided by this framework, countries such as Ghana and Uganda are already integrating diabetes and cardiovascular services into primary health care.
WHO continues to support countries in adapting and applying these frameworks. The WHO PEN package, now operational in 31 countries, and PEN-Plus, implemented in 20 countries, are expanding access to cost-effective, high-quality chronic-disease care at the primary level. Sustained financing, reliable supply chains, and stronger referral and data systems remain essential to maintain momentum and equity.
As I often say, diabetes progression can be prevented. If detected early — at the insulin-resistance stage — we have a window of up to 15 years to intervene. Through regular exercise, healthy eating, and appropriate medication, we can slow progression and help people live full, healthy lives.
This year’s campaign unites us around a single goal: empowering people living with diabetes to live well at every stage of life.
- Children: Early diagnosis and consistent care enable healthy growth and learning.
- Women of reproductive age: Effective management before and during pregnancy safeguards both mother and child.
- Working-age adults: Accessible, affordable services and supportive workplaces protect wellbeing and productivity.
- Older people: Continued, compassionate care prevents complications and preserves independence.
Turning commitment into results requires strong governance, adequate financing for noncommunicable-disease services, and integration of diabetes prevention and treatment into national health and primary-care plans. Policies promoting nutritious diets, physical activity, and reduced consumption of unhealthy foods are crucial to curb new cases.
Above all, we must ensure consistent access to affordable medicines — including insulin — essential technologies, mental-health support, and the tools that allow people to manage their condition with dignity.
Governments, health workers, civil society, communities, and individuals all share responsibility for changing the course of diabetes in Africa. Working together, we can remove barriers to care and build environments that enable healthy living.
On this World Diabetes Day, let us reaffirm our shared determination to deliver effective care and lasting support — at every stage of life — so that every person living with diabetes can enjoy a healthy, dignified, and fulfilling life.
