The African Epidemic Fund is now operational, providing the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) with flexible funding to support countries across the continent in outbreak preparedness and response.
This much-anticipated development is set to be a game-changer. No longer constrained by bureaucratic hurdles, Africa CDC now has the flexibility to rapidly deploy funds where they are needed most, allowing for faster and more efficient outbreak responses. Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director General of Africa CDC, described it as a landmark moment in the fight for improved health security on the continent.
“This is the vehicle through which we can receive funding without any limitation, without any bureaucracy, to support African countries in preparing for and responding to outbreaks… We are celebrating that at Africa CDC,” he said.
The fund was formally established following the High-Level Meeting on Domestic Health Financing, a collaborative initiative between Africa CDC, the African Union Commission, and AUDA-NEPAD. It arrives at a crucial time as Africa grapples with multiple health crises, including a Marburg outbreak in Tanzania, Ebola in Uganda, and rising cases of cholera and febrile illnesses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Furthermore, the mpox outbreak remains ongoing, six months after Africa CDC declared it a health emergency of continental concern. In February, Africa CDC’s Emergency Consultative Group reviewed the situation, recommending that the outbreak status remain in place due to rising case numbers, the emergence of a highly transmissible new variant, and continued vaccine shortages.
Dr. Kaseya stressed that the new epidemic fund offers Africa CDC greater autonomy and agility in outbreak response.
“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 will oversee its activities, with regular updates provided to AU policy organs. Most importantly, the fund’s transactions will be publicly accessible, with detailed tracking available to ensure transparency.
“The African Epidemic Fund will be available on the Africa CDC website. We want people to see, in real time, how much funding we receive, how it is being used, and where it is allocated. That’s the level of transparency we are bringing to Africa,” Dr. Kaseya added.
The need for such a fund has never been more pressing, as Africa has witnessed a sharp increase in public health events—from 152 in 2022 to 213 in 2024. This surge highlights the growing vulnerability of African nations to health threats.
At the same time, the challenges surrounding the mpox outbreak have worsened following the suspension of U.S. government aid, which disrupted key outbreak control efforts such as sample collection and shipment. These disruptions emphasize the urgency for Africa to develop self-sustaining funding mechanisms to address ongoing and future health crises.
Even so, efforts to combat mpox are entering a critical phase, with expectations that the new fund will provide much-needed resources to contain the outbreak. Dr. Ngashi Ngongo, Head of the Mpox Incident Support Team at Africa CDC, described this as the “intensification phase” and outlined the next steps in the response.
“In the next three months, we will focus on getting the outbreak under control, while the final three months of this plan will shift towards early recovery and resilience-building,” he said.
The immediate next steps in epidemic control will focus on strengthening surveillance systems, scaling up vaccination campaigns, and enhancing community-based interventions to break transmission chains. Africa CDC, in collaboration with WHO and other partners, will continue supporting affected countries by mobilizing resources, expanding laboratory capacity, and accelerating vaccination efforts to curb the spread of mpox and other health threats.
