Findings from the Africa Health Media Trends Report 2026 has shown that African health journalism is facing pressure at a time of varied public health challenges.
The report, released by FINN Partners in a hybrid press conference in Kenya on Thursday, highlights how shrinking global health financing, rising Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), climate-related health risks and recurring disease outbreaks are reshaping health reporting across the continent.
Based on insights from journalists, editors and advocates from 11 African countries, as well as perspectives from Western legacy media, the report provides a ground-level view of the pressures, priorities and opportunities shaping health journalism in 2026.
The Africa Health Media Trends Report 2026 notes that African newsrooms are increasingly operating with limited resources, fewer specialist health desks and reduced access to timely, credible data, even as public demand for accurate and trustworthy health information grows.
Launching the report, Mr Peter Finn, Founding Partner and Chief Executive Officer of FINN Partners, a leading global independent marketing and communications agency, said Africa had reached a critical moment for health communication.
“When journalism is under-resourced, public health suffers, strong health systems depend on strong media ecosystems, and that means treating journalists as essential partners, not just messengers,” he said.
Mr Finn said the report showed that shifts in global health financing had become a dominant media storyline, forcing countries to rethink health sovereignty, domestic financing and local manufacturing, while journalists work to translate complex policy changes into real-life impact on communities.
Dr Maryam Bigdeli, a health systems specialist and former World Health Organisation (WHO) Representative and Head of Mission in Morocco, said the way health issues were reported directly influenced public trust and policy priorities.
“Amid shifting global health priorities and financing constraints, African countries must focus on building resilient systems grounded in strong primary healthcare, sustainable financing and accountable governance,”she said.
The report underscored the importance of locally driven solutions and evidence-based dialogue in advancing long-term health equity across the African continent.
Mr Sheriff Bojang, a journalist with The Africa Report, said health reporters were eager to produce impactful stories but often faced barriers such as lack of funding and limited access to credible local experts.
He said despite the challenges, the report identified a growing shift towards solutions-driven, Africa-led health storytelling.
He said Journalists were increasingly prioritising data-informed reporting that centred African expertise and local context, moving away from narratives that frame the continent solely as a site of crisis.
“The priority now is localising global health news to show how it affects our communities, we are moving past simply reporting on Western studies,” Mr Bojang said.
The report, he said, offered a vital roadmap for how health organisations could support the media so that accurate, potentially life-saving information reached the public.
The Africa Health Media Trends Report 2026 called on governments, development partners, funders and the private sector to invest in local journalism.
It said they must improve access to data and African experts, and build long-term, trust-based partnerships with the media to strengthen public health outcomes across Africa.
