17 June, Cannes, France – A bold symbol of pan-African solidarity in health has earned global recognition. Amref Health Africa, in partnership with Edelman, was awarded a Bronze Lion Trophy at the 2025 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in the Industry Craft Lions, in the sub-category for Art Direction: Brand & Communications Design (B01). The winning concept, Flags of Unity, created for the Africa Health Agenda International Conference (AHAIC) 2025, was celebrated for its compelling visual storytelling and craftsmanship that transformed a design concept into a powerful movement for health equity.
Out of 775 global entries and a highly competitive shortlist of 85, Amref stood proudly alongside iconic, multi-billion-dollar brands such as Unilever, Heineken, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, McDonald’s Polska, and the Chicago International Film Festival, among other household names. For African public health, it wasn’t just a win, but a defining moment for the continent’s voice in global health communications.
Redefining Health Storytelling from the Global South
Winning at Cannes Lions, the world’s most prestigious creative excellence award show, marks a watershed moment for African-led storytelling. It signals a growing global appetite for narratives that are homegrown, bold, and unapologetically African, especially in the space of global health.
This recognition underscores Amref’s and the AHAIC leadership in the health sector, not just in promoting health equity and ensuring underserved communities in Africa get access to quality healthcare at their convenience, but in shaping how the world sees and responds to Africa’s health priorities.
“The Flags of Unity didn’t just tell a story – it demonstrated that we are all connected for change. It wove together the hopes, struggles, and triumphs of 54 African nations into one powerful narrative. Every flag represents the intersection and connectedness of countries and the millions of lives we’re committed to transforming,” said Desta Lakew, Group Director, Partnerships and External Affairs at Amref Health Africa. “To every African organisation fighting the good fight: Your stories matter. Your creativity deserves the world’s attention. Your impact is Cannes-Lion-worthy.”
“We extend heartfelt thanks to AHAIC 2025 co-hosts—the Ministry of Health Rwanda, Africa CDC, and WHO AFRO—and all partners who helped elevate the vision,” she added.
Debbie Fagan, Creative Director at Edelman UK, spoke of ‘Flags of Unity’ as “a bold creative act that reimagined national flags from across Africa to reflect one shared ambition: better health for all. Where others see borders, we saw connection. Through striking, symbolic design, we unified a continent’s fragmented health narrative under a single visual language. The work is a powerful expression of Ubuntu, ‘I am because we are’. A testament to the belief that together, we are stronger. We want it to spark continental pride and a renewed sense of collective purpose. A campaign not just for a client, but for a cause.”
Jamie Cordwell, Executive Creative Director, Edelman UK, added: “Cannes Lions is the world’s greatest celebration of the role that creativity can play in solving problems, be they commercial, cultural, or societal. What ‘Flags of Unity’ shows us is the power of design to express a meaningful concept within seconds, communicating much more than the sum of its parts, and connecting people for change.”
The Spark Behind the Symbol
Inspired by the realities of pandemics and ongoing global health security challenges, Flags of Unity is more than a design motif; it is a symbol of shared purpose. It sends a clear message: borders cannot contain pandemics, and only through cross-border collaboration can African nations strengthen health security. This idea was powerfully echoed in the conference theme, “Connected for Change,” which redefined traditional branding by placing solidarity, movement, and African identity at the heart of its visual language.
Launched during the vibrant Walk for Change at AHAIC 2025 through the streets of Kigali, the flags became a living embodiment of unity, carried by health leaders, policymakers, and delegates from across the continent and beyond. Each flag bore artistic representations of the intersections where countries connect; it reflects the hope and future of collaboration and it emphasises the consensus that infectious diseases know no borders—and neither should our solutions.
Inside the conference venue, the flags took centre stage, featured in immersive digital animations, the opening film, and installations throughout the space, turning static symbols into rallying points for real dialogue and action.
From Creative Vision to Tangible Impact
Beyond their aesthetic appeal, the Flags of Unity were designed to reflect Amref and AHAIC’s growing influence in global health advocacy and cross-border collaboration. They reflect a bold commitment to shaping a resilient and self-sustaining future for health in Africa, especially amid rising geopolitical fragmentation and shrinking global health and development funding.
The campaign helped set the tone for a record-breaking AHAIC 2025, which convened over 7,000 participants from 60+ countries across more than 50 partner-led sessions tackling Africa’s most urgent health priorities. The conference generated significant media attention, with 150+ articles reaching 18.1 million people through earned media. On social media, the campaign achieved over 11.5K engagements and 2,600+ organic posts, contributing to a total reach of approximately 64 million.
In a world where public health messages often get lost in technical jargon, Flags of Unity proved that design can be diplomacy where symbols become solutions, and design drives change, and that stories from Africa deserve to shine on the world’s biggest creative stage. When Africa leads with vision, the world listens.
Article co-authored by: Desta Lakew – Group Director, Partnerships and External Affairs at Amref Health Africa, Jamie George Cordwell – Executive Creative Director, Edelman UK and Debbie Fagan – Creative Director at Edelman UK.