Africa has seen a sharp rise in public health events, increasing from 152 in 2022 to 213 in 2024, highlighting the growing vulnerability of African nations to health threats.
In response, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has announced the operational launch of the African Epidemic Fund, aimed at strengthening outbreak preparedness and response.
According to a statement on Tuesday, the fund will provide Africa CDC with flexible financing to rapidly support countries in tackling disease outbreaks.
Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director General of Africa CDC, described it as a landmark moment in the fight for improved health security on the continent.
According to him, this much-anticipated development is set to be a game-changer. No longer constrained by bureaucratic hurdles, Africa CDC now has the flexibility to rapidly deploy funds where they are needed most, allowing for faster and more efficient outbreak responses.
“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… We are celebrating that at Africa CDC,” Kaseya said.
The Director General of Africa CDC said 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.
“It arrives at a crucial time as Africa grapples with multiple health crises, including a Marburg outbreak in Tanzania, Ebola in Uganda, and rising cases of cholera and febrile illnesses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC),” Kaseya stated.
Mpox remains a significant challenge
He further highlighted that the mpox outbreak remains ongoing, six months after Africa CDC declared it a health emergency of continental concern.
In February, Africa CDC’s Emergency Consultative Group reviewed the situation, recommending that the outbreak status remain in place due to rising case numbers, the emergence of a highly transmissible new variant, and continued vaccine shortages.
Africa CDC gains autonomy in outbreak response
Dr. Kaseya emphasized that the new epidemic fund offers Africa CDC greater autonomy and agility in outbreak response.
“It will be accessible without the need for approval from any AU organ, giving Africa CDC more autonomy,” he said.
Transparency will be a cornerstone of the fund’s operations. Dr. Kaseya affirmed that Africa CDC will manage the fund directly, ensuring strict accountability. A governing board will oversee its activities, with regular updates provided to AU policy organs. Most importantly, the fund’s transactions will be publicly accessible, with detailed tracking available to ensure transparency.
“The African Epidemic Fund will be available on the Africa CDC website. We want people to see, in real time, how much funding we receive, how it is being used, and where it is allocated. That’s the level of transparency we are bringing to Africa,” Dr. Kaseya added.
The urgency for self-sustaining funding mechanisms
He emphasized that the need for such a fund has never been more urgent, stating, “Africa has witnessed a sharp increase in public health events—from 152 in 2022 to 213 in 2024. This surge highlights the growing vulnerability of African nations to health threats.”
Kaseya also pointed out that the challenges surrounding the mpox outbreak have worsened following the suspension of U.S. government aid, which disrupted key outbreak control efforts, including sample collection and shipment.
“These disruptions emphasize the urgency for Africa to develop self-sustaining funding mechanisms to address ongoing and future health crises,” he noted.
Despite these setbacks, efforts to combat mpox are entering a critical phase, with expectations that the new fund will provide much-needed resources to contain the outbreak.
The path ahead: Intensifying outbreak response
Dr. Ngashi Ngongo, Head of the Mpox Incident Support Team at Africa CDC, described this as the “intensification phase” and outlined the next steps in the response.
“In the next three months, we will focus on getting the outbreak under control, while the final three months of this plan will shift towards early recovery and resilience-building,” he said.
The immediate next steps in epidemic control will focus on strengthening surveillance systems, scaling up vaccination campaigns, and enhancing community-based interventions to break transmission chains.
Africa CDC, in collaboration with WHO and other partners, will continue supporting affected countries by mobilizing resources, expanding laboratory capacity, and accelerating vaccination efforts to curb the spread of mpox and other health threats.
