Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali while playing host to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) https://africacdc.org said that it is incumbent for member states to strengthen the Africa CDC into a premier institution through partnerships. The Ethiopian leader called upon fellow African leaders to join in the efforts to establishing the continental public health agency into a premier institution, fully committed to advancing health across the African continent. This remark was made during his meeting in Addis Ababa with the CDC Director-General H.E Dr. Jean Kaseya. Abiy stated that the specialised healthcare agency’s facilities should match its research capabilities to plays a crucial role in disease prevention as well as coordinate continental response to epidemics and pandemics. The Chinese-built architectural master piece headquarters of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention located in Haile Garment Square in the southern suburb of Addis Ababa, where the meeting held, Abiy Ahm made it known that the edifice is a symbol of the flagship partnership between China and the African continent. He further stated that the partnership would help in the area of public health thus pushing and build resilience to safeguard the future of Africans as the continent battles the outbreaks such as the mpox. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) which recently launched the African Epidemic Fund disclosed that the fund, formally established following the High-Level Meeting on Domestic Health Financing, a collaborative initiative between Africa CDC, the African Union Commission https://au.int and AUDA-NEPAD afr100.org will be a flexible fund to support countries across the continent in the event of outbreaks, preparedness and response. According to Kaseya the much-anticipated development is set to be a game-changer that would eliminate the constraints, bureaucratic hurdles and pave the way for the flexibility to rapidly deploy funds where they are needed most, allowing for faster and more efficient outbreak responses. In his words the Africa CDC Scribe stated that “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 is expected to oversee its activities, with regular updates provided to AU policy organs. The African Epidemic Fund will be available on the Africa CDC website and the fund’s transactions will be publicly accessible, with detailed tracking available to ensure transparency.
