Ethiopia Becomes First African Civilian Team to Secure WHO Emergency Classification

By Mintesinot Nigussie  |  September 17, 2026

Ethiopia has become the first country in the WHO African Region to have a civilian National Emergency Medical Team internationally classified by the World Health Organisation, as African governments seek to build permanent national capacity to respond to disease outbreaks, disasters and humanitarian crises.

The classification confirms that Ethiopia’s team meets WHO standards covering governance, clinical services, logistics, infection prevention and control, information management and operational readiness. The team also demonstrated its ability to establish and operate a functional field hospital during simulation exercises conducted as part of the verification process.

The achievement places Ethiopia alongside Senegal, which has an internationally classified military Emergency Medical Team, making Ethiopia the first civilian team in the region to receive the recognition.

The development comes as African countries seek to strengthen emergency medical capacity across the continent. African health ministers recently adopted a Regional Framework on Emergency Medical Teams for 2026–2030, which calls for countries to have at least one functional national EMT by 2030.

The WHO African Region faces more than 100 significant public-health events each year, including disease outbreaks, climate-related disasters and humanitarian emergencies. Yet national capacity remains uneven. WHO says 30 African countries are currently developing national EMT capabilities, while only seven have teams demonstrating advanced operational readiness or alignment with WHO minimum standards.

About 80% of operational national EMTs in the region remain project-based or externally supported, according to WHO, creating challenges in retaining trained personnel, maintaining equipment and sustaining readiness between emergencies.

Ethiopia’s team has already been deployed in domestic emergencies, including the response to the Gamo Zone landslide, and has contributed to preparedness and response efforts for emerging disease outbreaks.

The country is also home to the Regional Emergency Medical Teams Training and Knowledge Hub in Addis Ababa, which supports training, simulation exercises and operational readiness for countries across the region.

Source: FSX Business News