Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention

Public health crises can quickly spiral out of control in Africa, where inadequate infrastructure and a shortage of qualified personnel often hamper efforts to detect and respond to disease outbreaks.

• To address this problem, the African Union (AU) established the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) in 2016. This specialized technical institution is dedicated to supporting public health initiatives in African Union Member States, and to strengthening the capacity of public health institutions to detect, prevent, and respond effectively to disease threats.

Background

• The idea for the Africa CDC was first proposed by the government of Ethiopia in 2013, during a TB/HIV special summit in Abuja, Nigeria. From 2013 to 2016, the modalities and statues of Africa CDC were developed, and the specialized agency was officially launched in January 2017.

Purpose and Function

• The Africa CDC serves as a platform for Member States to share and exchange knowledge and lessons from public health interventions. It aims to provide coordinated and integrated solutions to the inadequacies in Member States’ public health infrastructure, human resource capacity, disease surveillance, laboratory diagnostics, and preparedness and response to health emergencies and disasters.
• The institution is guided by the principles of leadership, credibility, ownership, delegated authority, timely dissemination of information, and transparency in carrying out its day-to-day activities.
• By working closely with Member States and other partners, the Africa CDC aims to enhance the capacity of public health institutions to detect and respond to disease threats, as well as to improve the overall health and well-being of people across the continent.

Autonomy from the African Union Commission

• Currently, plans are at an advanced stage to formally make the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention operations autonomous from the African Union Commission (AU).
• The AU says that the move is meant to make the CDC more authoritative and eliminate unnecessary protocols and regulations that sometimes drag its operations.
• It will also help the organization to have more comprehensive and efficient decision-making process to act quickly and effectively in the event of disease outbreak.

The Africa CDC is a vital institution that is helping to improve public health in Africa. By working closely with Member States and other partners, it is helping to enhance the capacity of public health institutions to detect and respond to disease threats, as well as to improve the overall health and well-being of people across the continent. With the plans to make Africa CDC more autonomous, the organization can be more efficient and effective in dealing with disease outbreak in Africa.