AFRICAN UNION POLICIES ON NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES: STRENGTHS, GAPS AND IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES

Abstract

The Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015 recognizes noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) as a growing global public health crisis. Goal 3 of the SDG which seeks to ensure healthy lives and promote the well-being for all and, in particular target 3.4 aims to reduce premature NCD mortality by one-third by 2030. This paper critically examines African institutional and regulatory framework to meeting the set targets and evaluates its effectiveness of broader policy benchmarks established by the African Union and the World Health Organization. This study employs a doctrinal legal analysis to identify regulatory framework of NCDs. This research adopts doctrinal research of primary and secondary sources including legal scholarship from policy papers, commentaries treaties and international instruments for the research. The research suggests legal reforms and recommendations to strengthen the regulatory system in line with global standards.