Stories of Impact

Highlighting how collaborative public health action strengthens Africa’s resilience and saves lives across the continent.

Africa CDC Bingwa Plus Initiative
Promising Youth-led Health Innovations Across Africa Celebrated

Africa CDC’s Bingwa PLUS Y-Health Incubator Programme has awarded its first 15 grants, worth €45,000. These grants will support youth-led, community-focused initiatives that promote innovation, impact, and sustainability in addressing public health, social justice, education, and development challenges by transforming them into actionable ...

Surveillance and Disease Intelligence
Guarding the Gates | Uganda Strengthens Border Health Amid Ongoing Threats

Uganda’s borders have always been busy and vulnerable. Over the past decade, Ebola, COVID-19, leptospirosis, Marburg, measles and cholera have all emerged, stretching an already burdened health system. With Mpox still active and the memories of the recent Ebola outbreak ...

Disease Control and Prevention
Plans to Scale Up Mental Health Leadership Courses in Africa

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) is spearheading a continental Mental Health Leadership Programme aimed at equipping mental health advocates and leaders with the skills and competencies needed to address mental health challenges through a public ...

Emergency Response and Preparedness
African Leaders Champion the Call to Fight Cholera

African heads of state have made a commitment to accelerate investment, cross-border coordination, and vaccine access to eliminate cholera by 2030. In response to a call by Africa CDC and under the leadership of H.E. Hakainde Hichilema, President of Zambia ...

African Vaccine Manufacturing
Health Products Manufacturing Policy Study Tour Gives Africa a Strategic Boost

Africa CDC’s Platform for Harmonized Health Products Manufacturing (PHAHM), in collaboration with the Team Europe Support Structure (TESS) MAV+, organised a Study Tour on Policy Frameworks for Health Products Manufacturing to Europe in April. From analysing the policy mechanisms, regulatory ...

Emergency Response and Preparedness
Sierra Leone Fights Mpox

Sierra Leone is the latest addition to the Incident Management Support Team (IMST) list of the most mpox-hit nations. Skyrocketing cases are triggering concern across Africa. Sierra Leone recorded its first case on January 10, 2025. Immediately after, Minister of ...

Emergency Response and Preparedness
Africa Turns to Mpox Lessons to Fight Cholera

The rapid spread of cholera across the continent has sparked discussions on joint efforts to combat the disease, which has impacted 16 countries, with four facing severe outbreaks. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has raised ...

Surveillance and Disease Intelligence
In Uganda, Ebola Comes to an End, but Vigilance Continues

On April 26, 2025, Uganda’s Minister of Health, Dr Jane Ruth Aceng Ocero, announced the end of Uganda’s eighth Ebola outbreak. The declaration came 42 days since the last case was discharged, and no new Ebola cases had been reported. ...

Surveillance and Disease Intelligence
Cholera Plan to Map Hotspots in Five African Countries

Cholera hotspots are set to be identified in five African countries this year to guide the development of a roadmap for prevention, control, and elimination of this infectious disease that remains aggressive and prolonged in multiple countries in Africa. According ...

Surveillance and Disease Intelligence
New Advisory Group on Surveillance to Boost Africa’s Health Security

Improvements in the forecasting, monitoring, identification, and reporting of diseases are expected to take hold following the establishment of the Continental Surveillance Advisory Group (CSAG), aimed at bolstering Africa’s disease surveillance capabilities. This was among the key outcomes of a ...

Laboratory Quality Management Systems
Africa’s Growing Pool of Lab Assessors

Africa’s need for more laboratory quality systems experts to improve the accuracy, reliability, and timeliness of laboratory results, which are crucial for accurate diagnosis, disease surveillance, and evidence-based healthcare decision-making, is getting attention. The latest expansion of the continent’s pool ...

Ministerial Executive Leadership Programme (MELP)
Health Ministers Chart a Novel Path in Health Leadership Transformation

Wearing different political hats, meeting as a group, plotting Africa’s health future and setting targets while ensuring that they are met is a potent formula that could change Africa’s health fortunes. Coming from diverse backgrounds, but facing similar health problems ...