PEN-Plus Magazine

For many participants, the Third International Conference on PEN-Plus in Africa, held in Dar es Salaam in June 2026, represented a kind of homecoming. Some had attended the previous two conferences; others were reuniting with far-flung teammates and long-time collaborators. And for the hundreds of first-time participants, the conference provided opportunities to learn, to network, and to commit to increasing access to lifesaving treatments for people living with severe noncommunicable diseases.

Preparations are in full swing for the Third International Conference on PEN-Plus in Africa, slated for June 23–25 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The conference will celebrate the accelerating momentum of the PEN-Plus movement and highlight the latest research, for which the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa has issued a call for abstracts.

Turning health care and global inequities into lyrical art is not easily done—but during an international conference earlier this year, Nigerian poet and performer Bash Amuneni found a way. He performed his stirring spoken word piece, “This is How We Will All Win,” during the second annual International Conference on PEN-Plus in Africa, held in Abuja, Nigeria, in July.

The catchy, R&B-style track is providing new support and empowerment for people living with severe, chronic noncommunicable diseases such as type 1 diabetes.

During the week of the International Conference on PEN-Plus in Africa, NCDI Poverty Network members took advantage of several opportunities to gather, reflect, and renew their commitment to ensuring that lifesaving treatment reaches those who need it most.

At the first International Conference on PEN-Plus in Africa, the science was serious and the messages meaningful. NCDI Poverty Network participants showed their passion and compassion throughout the conference—and even shared moments of levity.

Following the International Conference on PEN-Plus in Africa, the NCDI Poverty Network hosted the first Voices for PEN-Plus Advocacy Summit. The event, held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on April 26, brought stakeholders together to brainstorm ideas for increasing the scope and effectiveness of advocacy initiatives.

“PEN-Plus” was coined only five years ago, but already the integrated care-delivery model is receiving a spotlight on the global stage, with the launch of the first annual International Conference on PEN-Plus in Africa. The invitational conference will take place in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in April.