Brazzaville – An estimated 140 million people live with vision impairment in the African region, where the unmet need for eyeglasses remains the highest globally, affecting education, productivity, and quality of life for millions of people.
To address the challenge, the World Health Organization (WHO) is working with countries to strengthen eye care services as well as improve access to services for refractive errors. One key approach is the implementation of SPECS 2030, a global initiative launched by WHO in 2024 to expand access to quality, affordable, and people-centred refractive error services and increase effective coverage by 40 percentage points by 2030.
SPECS represents five strategic areas: strengthening eye care Services, developing eye health Personnel workforce, improving Education and awareness, reducing the Cost of care, and enhancing Surveillance systems. Together, these components support countries in strengthening health systems and expanding equitable access to eye care.
Since 2025, SPECS 2030 has been implemented in nine pioneering countries in the region: The Gambia, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa and Zambia. These countries are demonstrating how stronger policies, improved financing, enhanced workforce capacity and better information systems can bring eye care services closer to communities.
With support from WHO and partners, countries are conducting situation analyses, developing policies and strategies, strengthening workforce capacity and integrating eye health indicators into routine health information systems, helping build more sustainable eye care services within primary health care.
Countries are already reporting encouraging results. In Kenya, implementing partners have screened more than 1.5 million people and dispensed over 120 000 pairs of eyeglasses since the launch of SPECS 2030 in April 2026. Liberia is expanding refractive error services through primary care, while The Gambia is increasing access through new vision centres and school-based programmes. South Africa and Malawi are strengthening workforce capacity, and Mauritania has launched an evidence-based national eye health strategy, while both Mauritania and Zambia are strengthening surveillance, monitoring, and research systems. Rwanda has recently launched the implementation of SPECS.
“A simple eye examination and a pair of eyeglasses can transform lives. They improve learning opportunities, productivity, independence and wellbeing. Through SPECS 2030, countries are working to ensure that these essential services are accessible to everyone who needs them,” said Dr Benido Impouma, Director, Communicable and Noncommunicable Diseases Cluster, WHO Regional Office for Africa.
Despite encouraging progress, challenges remain, including limited domestic financing, shortages of trained personnel, equipment and maintenance gaps, transportation barriers, and inadequate health information systems.
The progress achieved by the pioneering SPECS 2030 countries shows that strengthening eye care within primary health care is both feasible and impactful. Their experience provides a strong foundation for scaling up action across Africa and advancing universal health coverage, so that more people can see, learn, work, and thrive.
