Call for Africa CDC member states to accelerate innovative health financing
NEW YORK: THE Committee of Heads of State and Government (CHSG) of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has urged Member States and partners to accelerate domestic and innovative health financing in line with the Africa CDC framework and the resolutions of the Accra High-Level Meeting.
The resolutions were issued while convening the Sidelines of the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 80) in New York, United States.
The meeting, chaired at the highest level of leadership, brought together African Union Member States to discuss urgent priorities for Africa’s health security and independence.
The countries reaffirmed the Assembly/AU/Dec.924 (XXXVIII) of February 2025, which recognized the Africa CDC as the Public Health Agency in Africa, with political, strategic and technical capacity, while the Leaders stressed the central role of the Africa CDC in safeguarding the health of the continent, in close collaboration with the African Union Commission, AUDA-NEPAD, AMA, AfCFTA, and other African Union (AU) institutions.
During the discussions, they commended the Africa CDC for the progress made in implementing the Assembly/AU/Dec.880 (XXXVII) on the African Health Authority and Sustainable Financing, including the establishment of the “Rethinking African Health Financing in a New Era” framework and the accountability mechanisms of the Lusaka Agenda.
They also commended the United Kingdom for successfully completing its Due Diligence assessment of the Africa CDC and approving direct funding, thus marking a historic milestone in the CDC’s institutional transformation and institutional credibility. The CHSG invited other bilateral and international partners to follow a similar approach.
The meeting also welcomed voluntary contributions from Member States, expressing concern over the persistent funding gaps that undermine the mandate of the Africa CDC, and agreed on the need to mobilize Heads of State to champion the Africa CDC’s fundraising efforts.
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Leaders called on partners to align their support with this initiative to avoid duplication.
They also called on the United States to remove the African Union and all its entities, including the Africa CDC, from its sanctions list and to work collaboratively through continental and regional mechanisms under the America First Global Health Strategy.
Leaders reaffirmed their support for the leadership of the Africa CDC in coordinating the outbreak response, accelerating the African Joint Procurement Mechanism (APPM), inc
reasing domestic production, and working with the African Medicines Agency (AMA) to advance regulatory harmonization.
The meeting authorized the Africa CDC to continue to promote African unity in international forums, including the replenishment of Gavi, the Global Fund, and the Pandemic Fund, and to lead Africa’s participation in the implementation of the WHO Pandemic Convention and the International Health Regulations (2005).
The CHSG stressed the importance of Africa speaking with one voice in global health governance and reiterated its unwavering support for the Africa CDC as the public health agency on the continent.
The meeting concluded with a joint call for stronger solidarity, sustained funding, and enhanced collaboration to protect African populations from recurrent and emerging health threats.
