As 2025 slowly starts winding down, following the discussions at the G20 Summit and sideline events (B20 and the European House Ambrosetti (TEHA) CEO Dialogue), I will enter the new year energised and optimistic about South Africa’s prominence on the global stage.
The discussions I shared with so many like-minded public and private sector leaders reinforced that investing in the health of our people will build a more resilient economy, attract more diverse capital flows and create the conditions we need for sustainable growth.
Several crucial truths emerged from the events, and these will be our roadmap for 2026.
First: Health is not an expense.
It is a strategic asset that determines whether a country can compete, innovate and protect its future workforce.
Diagnostics sit at the centre of this truth. Early, accurate testing and screening keeps people working, reduces the need for late-stage interventions and strengthens systems from the ground up. When diagnostics are reliable and accessible, governments and investors see greater stability, predictability and value.
These benefits matter just as much for infectious diseases as they do for the rising burden of non-communicable conditions, which continue to place pressure on South Africa’s health system.
Goals are a great start, and we can do even more
At the G20 Social Summit, the National Department of Health confirmed that the launch of the cervical cancer elimination strategy is imminent. This provides the country with a clear, structured path to the 90-70-90 WHOtargets and is a turning point for women’s health. This formally acknowledges the value of protecting South African women against the most prevalent healthcare threats.1
To clarify, 90-70-90 targets are:
- vaccination: 90% of girls fully vaccinated with the HPV vaccine by the age of 15;
- screening: 70% of women screened using a high-performance test by the age of 35, and again by the age of 45;
- treatment: 90% of women with pre-cancer treated and 90% of women with invasive cancer managed.
When cervical cancer is identified early, the five-year relative survival rate reaches 91 percent. Once the disease has spread significantly, it drops to 19 percent. And expanding access to high-quality, high-performance HPV (Human Papillomavirus) testing is one of the strongest levers available to protect women’s lives in this context.2
Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among South African women and the leading cancer for women aged 15 to 44 years in the prime of their lives.3 To screen 70 percent of women by age 35, South Africa will need scale. High-throughput laboratory capacity enables the processing of large volumes accurately and consistently, and scale is what allows national screening goals to be met.
Outside laboratories and clinics, HPV self-collection can also help overcome the cultural, social and geographic barriers that keep many women from seeking care. When testing can happen privately and safely, more women can enter the screening pathway with dignity and confidence.4
The goalposts are in sight, and we must maintain the energy the G20 inspired to get where we need to be. Innovative pricing discussions, community-based support models and operational partnerships with organisations that understand local contexts will all have a role to play. A national strategy becomes real only when partnerships move beyond policy into coordinated implementation.
Strong regulatory environments support both innovation and investment
Across the B20 and CEO Dialogue platforms, leaders stressed the value of predictability. When regulatory systems are transparent, harmonised and consistent, they create confidence among investors and strengthen the country’s competitiveness. They also accelerate access to safe, effective technologies that improve health outcomes.
Initiatives like the African Medicines Agency offer a path toward regional regulatory coherence. Shorter, more efficient approval timelines support innovation, reduce delays and ensure that critical health tools reach our communities, even in remote rural areas.5
Private-sector innovation and partnership will be essential for South Africa’s next decade
Public and private sectors achieve the most when they work together. At the B20, business leaders reiterated that health system resilience is directly linked to the ability of countries to attract long-term investment. Innovation thrives where there is a shared commitment to problem-solving, and where government and industry work shoulder to shoulder to expand access, strengthen laboratories and build local skills.
South Africa has an opportunity to build on this momentum. By fostering deeper partnerships with responsible private-sector players, we can set a global example through unprecedented progress on national priorities, develop stronger laboratory networks and create a new generation of professionals with the technical skills needed for our complex health landscape.
Integrated testing and the future of sustainable health funding
Funding remains a critical issue across the continent. Shared platforms, shared training and shared operational systems allow health budgets to go further while improving equity of access.
The future will depend on our ability to manage both communicable and non-communicable diseases with the same level of coordination, efficiency and scientific capability. This includes strengthening genomics capacity, expanding screening for priority conditions and building a workforce able to operate advanced technologies that translate scientific progress into real-world benefit.
A forward-looking South Africa
South Africa has strong scientific institutions, committed public health leadership and increasing political momentum behind women’s health and non-communicable diseases. The country also has growing recognition of the role that private-sector innovation can play in shaping resilient, future-ready systems.
The next step is to treat health as a central pillar of our economic strategy. When diagnostics are prioritised and partnerships are strengthened, we create stability, build confidence and enable South Africans to thrive. Our health system becomes more resilient, our economy becomes more competitive and our people become the foundation of our national progress.
Written by Merilynn Steenkamp, Managing Director, Southern Africa Multi-Country Network at Roche Diagnostics