Email: communications@africacdc.org
Africa CDC at Africa Health ExCon 2026
Report · Cairo, 15–20 June 2026
The fifth edition of the continent’s premier healthcare event, and the second co-hosted by Africa CDC.
40,000+ registrations for the event · ~1,500 at the opening ceremony on 15 June · 6 Ministers of Health from AU Member States · 4 Africa CDC side events convened
A wake-up call, and a plan
Africa Health ExCon 2026 was hosted by Egypt’s Unified Procurement Authority under the auspices of H.E. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, and opened in the presence of H.E. Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Prime Minister of Egypt. H.E. Ðuro Macut, Prime Minister of Serbia, attended as Guest of Honour, alongside six Ministers of Health from African Union Member States.
Africa CDC participated with a high-level delegation led by H.E. Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director General. In his keynote address he focused on the ongoing Bundibugyo Ebola virus outbreak, saying it should serve as a wake-up call for Africa to strengthen its health security architecture and accelerate investment in local manufacturing, regulatory systems and resilient supply chains.
Seven commitments proposed to emerge from ExCon
Adopt the Cairo Initiative Manufacturing Compact, linking every African data contribution to fair access, post-trial commitments, technology transfer and African manufacturing pathways.
Adopt the African Pooled Procurement Mechanism as the default mechanism for outbreak-critical medical countermeasures.
Establish guaranteed offtake or reserve-capacity agreements for medical countermeasures.
Give preference to quality-assured African manufacturers in framework contracts.
Invest in African manufacturing lines for diagnostics, PPE, safe and dignified burial kits, and clinical-care products.
Link research and trial data to access, benefit-sharing and technology transfer arrangements.
Accelerate reliance on the African Medicines Agency and advance joint regulatory pathways.
Egypt becomes the first Member State to join the APPM
Egypt accedes to the APPM, the first African Union Member State to sign the APPM Memorandum of Understanding and formally participate in the mechanism.
UPA and Africa CDC, a partnership agreement on collaboration and support for operationalizing the APPM.
EDA and ANPP; a cooperation agreement between the Egyptian Drug Authority and Algeria’s National Agency for Pharmaceutical Products.
Egypt’s signing of the APPM Memorandum of Understanding makes it the first African Union Member State to formally join the mechanism, a major milestone in its operationalization and a precedent for other Member States.
From commitments to implementation
Africa CDC contributed across almost every session of the Public Health Track. A clear paradigm shift emerged: from commitments to implementation, from emergency response to institutionalization, and from dependency to health sovereignty.
Coordinated by the Communications and Public Information Directorate and the Northern RCC, the Africa CDC booth sat in Hall 1, adjacent to the main venues where the scientific programme was held. The position drew sustained foot traffic from delegates attending side events and panel sessions.
Displays covered the Bundibugyo Ebola virus response in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, the African Pooled Procurement Mechanism, local manufacturing, digital transformation and resilient supply chains. Senior experts briefed visitors throughout, from Member State delegations and company CEOs to university students and the Local Manufacturing Fellows based in Cairo.
Recommendations for the road to CPHIA
Engage the Unified Procurement Authority and other organizers at the earliest stages of planning, so Africa CDC helps shape themes and sessions from the outset.
Identify and prepare flagship side events well in advance, and mobilize stakeholders early.
Leverage the platform to increase North African participation in CPHIA through targeted promotion and delegate outreach.
Position Africa Health ExCon as a strategic milestone on the pathway to CPHIA, and as a marketplace for African health product manufacturers.
Next stop: CPHIA 2026
The outcome messages from the Public Health Track feed directly into the fifth International Conference on Public Health in Africa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 23–27 November 2026.
APPM opportunities (appm.africacdc.org)
