The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) joined Heads of State and Government, the African Union Commission (AUC) and its Organs, African business leaders, and leading Pan-African institutions on June 8, 2023, in celebrating the Africa Integration Day, an annual commemoration of the African Union. On the margins of the celebrations, a premier event for 2023 known as the Boma of Africa was organized to showcase the successes achieved so far on the integration journey focusing on the signing of the 4D Pact.
Under the auspices of the Afro-Champions Initiative, Africa CDC with other inaugural 4D Pact sponsors, signed the African Union 4D Pact. The Pact aims to mobilize development finance institutions (DFIs), multilateral development agencies, AU Member States, corporations, and other important continental and global stakeholders to accelerate the pace of African integration through Agenda 2063 flagships and related instruments.
The Pact is anchored on its two (2) flagship areas, (i) the African Public Health Wallet and (ii) the 4D Bio-Innovation Value Chain Accelerator (4D BioNovac). The 4D Pact is a strategic commitment by Pan-African institutions working together to promote and resource large-scale platforms and accelerators of innovations at public and private sector levels.
“The COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Europe, and the associated health and economic crises have taught us that Africa’s vulnerabilities can only be solved by Africans and their governments taking our destiny into our own hands as Africans. Equally important, a key lesson learnt is the need to take integration seriously because our vulnerabilities and problems are integrated. Our solutions must therefore be integrated and coordinated by ourselves as Africans,” H.E Cyril Ramaphosa President, Republic of South Africa.
Speaking at Boma 2023, H.E. Dr Jean Kaseya, Africa CDC Director General, described the 4D Pact initiative as a game-changer for Africa’s health security agenda, emphasizing that it would play a vital role in achieving the objectives of the New Public Health Order and the New Deal agenda.
“Africa was the first continent to open borders and allowed movement of people to continue their economic activities, today we’re here celebrating that achievement. These initiatives aim at strengthening digital health services, informing evidence-based policymaking, and facilitating the smooth movement of people and goods. We will continue building on past accomplishments of the Panabios Consortium led by Afro-Champions that allowed Africa to become the first continent to launch an interstate testing and vaccination verification system”, Dr Kaseya indicated.
In an era of rapid technological progress, Africa CDC is well-positioned to harness the potential of information technologies for the accelerated digitalization of health systems, underpinned by reliable health data. This approach will enable the implementation of telemedicine and biomonitoring, making healthcare services more accessible and equitable, while improving the management of health programs and responsiveness to epidemics.
Through strategic collaboration, Africa CDC working with key African Union organs including Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the African Union Development Agency – New Partnership for African Development (AUDA-NEPAD), the Africa Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) and other partners, are confident that the 4D Pact offers the right platform for all stakeholders to chart a resilient trajectory for the post-pandemic era towards achieving the Agenda 2063.
Key African Union flagship programmes to be accelerated by the 4D Pact include the Protocol on Free Movement of People (PFMP), the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), the Partnerships for African Vaccine Manufacturing (PAVM) among others.
Media inquiries:
Dorothy Wambeti Njagi, Senior Communication Officer – Policy, Health Diplomacy & Communication: Africa CDC | Tel: +251 940 559 950 | Email: njagid@africa-union.org
G. Nekerwon Gweh, Communication Officer – Policy, Health Diplomacy & Communication; Africa CDC | Tel: +251 945 502 310 | Email: GwehN@africa-union.org
About Africa CDC
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) is a continental autonomous Public Health agency of the African Union which supports Member States in their efforts to strengthen health systems and improve surveillance, emergency response, prevention and control of diseases.
Learn more at: http://www.africacdc.org
About the African Union
The African Union spearheads Africa’s development and integration in close collaboration with African Union Member States, the Regional Economic Communities and African citizens. AU Vision: to accelerate progress towards an integrated, prosperous and inclusive Africa, at peace with itself, playing a dynamic role in the continental and global arena, effectively driven by an accountable, efficient and responsive Commission.
Learn more at: http://www.au.int/en
