Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention

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The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) is the public health agency of the African Union. Its job is to help member countries strengthen their health systems and work together to prevent, detect, and respond to disease threats. It began as an idea in 2013, was established by the AU in 2016, and officially started operating in January 2017. Its headquarters and main operations are in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

How it started and what it does
- The idea came from Ethiopia in 2013 during a TB/HIV summit in Abuja, Nigeria.
- The AU adopted the agency’s statute in 2015, and Africa CDC was launched in 2017 to improve coordination across African health systems.
- It runs from the Africa CDC Coordinating Centre in Addis Ababa, which also houses its Emergency Operations Centre, and it works through regional collaboration centers across Africa.

Key activities and milestones
- Africa CDC played a role in responding to the 2019–20 COVID-19 pandemic. It led coordination efforts, worked with partners on testing and response, and tracked cases and deaths across African countries.
- In 2021, as the pandemic continued, the agency reported cumulative case numbers and deaths across Africa and pushed regional cooperation.
- The Partnership for African Vaccine Manufacturing was launched in 2021 to boost vaccine production on the continent, with a goal that 60% of vaccines used in Africa could be produced there by 2040.
- An African Epidemics Fund was agreed in 2022 to support readiness and response, with governance planned for 2023. Africa CDC also seeks a role in the World Bank’s Pandemic Fund.
- In August 2024, Africa CDC declared the mpox outbreak a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security as cases spread between African countries.

Leadership, structure, and regional presence
- The agency was led by Director Dr John Nkengasong (with Deputy Director Ahmed Ogwell Ouma) and, since January 2023, Dr Jean Kaseya of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has served as General Director.
- Africa CDC operates through several divisions, including policy and communications, surveillance and disease intelligence, laboratory systems, emergency preparedness, and public health research.
- It maintains regional collaboration centers in Egypt, Nigeria, Gabon, Zambia, and Kenya to cover Northern, Western, Central, Southern, and Eastern Africa.
- It also runs specialized institutes focused on pathogen genomics intelligence and workforce development.

Infrastructure and partnerships
- China supported the construction of the Africa CDC headquarters as a flagship project. The first phase, completed by early 2023, includes office buildings, laboratories, an emergency response center, and housing for experts, all to be managed by the African Union.