Korede Abdullah in Lagos
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has launched the African Epidemic Fund to enhance outbreak preparedness and response across the continent.
This move comes as Africa faces a surge in public health events, with reported cases increasing from 152 in 2022 to 213 in 2024.
Director General of Africa CDC, Dr. Jean Kaseya, hailed the launch as a “landmark moment” in the fight for improved health security, stating, “This is the vehicle through which we can receive funding without any limitation, without any bureaucracy, to support African countries in preparing for and responding to outbreaks.”
The African Epidemic Fund will provide Africa CDC with flexible financing to rapidly support countries in tackling disease outbreaks.
According to Dr. Kaseya, the fund was formally established following the High-Level Meeting on Domestic Health Financing, a collaborative initiative between Africa CDC, the African Union Commission, and AUDA-NEPAD.
The fund’s launch is timely, as Africa grapples with multiple health crises, including Marburg, Ebola, cholera, and mpox outbreaks.
Dr. Kaseya emphasized that the new epidemic fund offers Africa CDC greater autonomy and agility in outbreak response, with transparency being a cornerstone of its operations. The fund’s transactions will be publicly accessible, ensuring accountability and transparency.
As Africa CDC continues to support affected countries, the organization will focus on strengthening surveillance systems, scaling up vaccination campaigns, and enhancing community-based interventions to break transmission chains.
