KEY POINTS
- Africa CDC calls for stronger domestic financing for health security across the continent.
- Dr Jean Kaseya says emergency funds must reach frontline responders faster.
- Africa needs greater local production of vaccines, diagnostics and other essential health products.
- Development partners should strengthen African leadership rather than replace it.
MAIN STORY
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has called for a stronger African led approach to health security, with countries urged to increase domestic financing, improve access to emergency funding and expand local production of essential medical supplies.
Africa CDC Director General, Dr Jean Kaseya, made the call during a conversation with Alexis Akwagyiram, Managing Editor of Semafor Africa, at Semafor’s “The Next 3 Billion” event held on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) monitored the conversation via webinar.
Kaseya said Africa needed a health security system that was financed, owned and sustained by African countries, while development partners provided support without displacing African leadership.
He said the continent’s experience with disease outbreaks had shown that raising funds alone was insufficient if emergency resources did not reach frontline responders and affected communities quickly enough.
“The Ebola outbreak is a stark reminder. We can mobilise resources, but if those resources do not reach the front line quickly enough, lives are put at risk,” he said.
According to Kaseya, African countries also need to strengthen their capacity to manufacture vaccines, diagnostics and other essential health products locally and regionally.
He said greater production capacity would help reduce the continent’s exposure to disruptions in global supply chains and strengthen its ability to respond to public health emergencies.
Kaseya said Africa’s population, markets, institutions and technical expertise provided a foundation for developing a more resilient health security system.
“Africa has a population of 1.5 billion people. We have the market, the institutions and the expertise to build differently,” he said.
He said the approach formed part of the African Health Security and Sovereignty agenda, which seeks to increase ownership by African countries while ensuring that partners and available resources help countries respond effectively to health threats.
Kaseya said African countries, development partners and institutions would need to change how they work together if the continent was to build and sustain the capacity needed to prevent, detect and respond to health emergencies.
THE ISSUES
- Africa’s ability to respond to health emergencies depends not only on the availability of funding but also on how quickly resources reach frontline responders and affected communities.
- Greater domestic financing would give African countries a stronger role in sustaining health security systems rather than relying mainly on external support.
- Expanding local and regional manufacturing of vaccines, diagnostics and other essential health commodities could reduce the continent’s vulnerability to interruptions in international supply chains.
- The health security and sovereignty approach places greater responsibility on African countries while requiring development partners to provide support that strengthens, rather than substitutes for, local capacity and leadership.
WHAT’S BEING SAID
“The Ebola outbreak is a stark reminder. We can mobilise resources, but if those resources do not reach the front line quickly enough, lives are put at risk.” – Dr Jean Kaseya, Africa CDC Director General
“Africa has a population of 1.5 billion people. We have the market, the institutions and the expertise to build differently.” – Dr Jean Kaseya, Africa CDC Director General
“Partners should support that ownership and ensure that resources reach the people who need them most.” – Dr Jean Kaseya, Africa CDC Director General
WHAT’S NEXT
Kaseya called for African countries, development partners and institutions to strengthen cooperation around domestic financing, emergency funding and local production so that the continent can build and sustain greater capacity to prevent, detect and respond to health emergencies.
BOTTOM LINE
Africa CDC is pushing for health security systems that African countries finance, own and sustain, supported by development partners. The approach also places greater emphasis on faster emergency funding and local production of essential health products.
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