The sound management of Health Care Waste (HCW) has been receiving increasing global attention, now even more so given the urgency of the COVID-19 pandemic. The spread of COVID-19 throughout Africa has significantly influenced the already overburdened Health Care Waste Management (HCWM) systems in many countries. A lack of infrastructure, inadequate budgets and capacity gaps make it difficult to achieve environmentally sound HCWM, which underscores the urgency of realising sustainable and inclusive HCWM systems and infrastructure in African countries, in order to improve resilience to health emergencies such as COVID-19 and mitigate impacts on development, the environment and society. 
This rapid assessment of HCWM in Ethiopia and Kenya, thus aims to identify gaps and propose strategic recommendations for a holistic approach to improving the sustainability of HCWM systems as the focus. It examines other policies and practices such as green procurement (environmentally preferable purchasing), green buildings (energy saving & renewable energy supply), green facility management (environmental management system) in the broader context of green health infrastructure in Africa.