New Roadmap to Strengthen Health Security in Central Africa
Central Africa, like the rest of the continent, is deeply affected by recurrent or prolonged health crises, with the emergence and re-emergence of infectious threats. These threats challenge the resilience of healthcare systems and underline the need for an integrated, multi-sectoral and proactive approach. These public health emergencies are a powerful reminder that no country can effectively and sustainably deal with cross-border health threats on its own.
'This joint planning process is much more than a technical exercise. It is a key moment to strengthen our regional public health architecture, foster the interoperability of our alert systems, promote data sharing and expertise, and facilitate more effective mobilisation of available resources,' said Dr Brice Wilfried Bicaba, Director of Africa CDC's Regional Coordinating Centre for Central Africa (CA RCC).
Africa CDC, through its CA RCC, brought together technical and institutional representatives from regional bodies including the Commission of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and the Organisation for Coordination in the Fight Against Endemic Diseases in Central Africa (OCEAC) of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC), from 16 to 18 June 2025 in Equatorial Guinea.
The inaugural strategic joint planning workshop was aimed at strengthening collaboration and coordination between Africa CDC, Regional Economic Communities and health institutions to improve prevention, preparedness and response to health emergencies in Central Africa. Africa CDC and its partners also came up with a consolidated 2025 plan.
'The 2025 joint action plan will serve as an operational guide for the coming months, focusing on concrete actions to strengthen regional coordination and governance, reinforce integrated health systems and the control of high-burden diseases, enhance surveillance, data collection and early warning, as well as build national capacity in terms of networks and laboratory systems,' added Dr Bicaba.
The joint roadmap 2026–2027 lays the foundations for a structured response that is more effective, efficient, sustainable and aligned with continental and regional frameworks such as the New Public Health Order for Africa, the Africa CDC Strategic Plan 2023–2027, the Regional Strategic Plans for Preparedness and Response to Public Health Emergencies, cross-border surveillance of diseases with epidemic potential under the 'One Health' approach, and the ECCAS 'One Health' Platform for the period 2025–2029, as well as the 2023–2027 Five-Year Strategic Plan of the OCEAC.
'This roadmap reflects our collective commitment to building a community that is better prepared, more resilient and more responsive to health threats. Coordination with Africa CDC and other regional health organisations is essential if we are to achieve genuine health security in Central Africa,' said Dr Peggy Raymonde Conjugo-Batoma, Head of the Health Department of the Commission of ECCAS.
The various stakeholders have also defined a coordination and monitoring framework for the joint implementation of health initiatives in the Central African region over the period 2025–2027. The main aim of this framework is to establish an effective coordination and accountability mechanism for the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of joint regional health security activities in Central Africa, while ensuring optimum synergy between the key players.
'I welcome this initiative, which strengthens regional solidarity around our shared priorities,' said Mr Mitoha Ondo'o Ayekaba, Equatorial Guinea's Minister of Health. 'The results of your work reflect not only the richness of your contributions but also the collective commitment and strong desire to face cross-border health threats together. They are also an illustration of strengthened regional cooperation between national institutions, regional economic communities and technical partners in the interests of our populations,' said Mr Ayekaba, who is also a member of the steering committee of the Central African RCC.
'I am personally committed to overseeing the implementation of the joint roadmap and to advocating vigorously with my colleagues to secure the necessary political support,' he said.
This inaugural workshop has been hailed by the Minister of Health and Africa CDC's partners as a model of multi-sector collaboration, mobilising the technical expertise, political priorities and resources of the various stakeholders around a common vision.
'It marks an important step in Africa CDC's ambition to build a more robust, integrated and inclusive continental public health system that is better prepared to deal with future health emergencies,' said Dr Bicaba.
The representatives present in Malabo also recommended co-developing collaboration protocols between the various institutions, integrating Africa CDC's Regional Coordinating Centre for Central Africa as an observer or technical member at decision-making and technical meetings of the RECs relating to public health, health emergency management and health security, and strengthening the capacities of Member States in health planning and coordination.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Zawya
a day ago
- Zawya
Africans' health challenges: The case for homegrown biomedical research
For decades, Africa has relied on foreign medical research and to tackle its health crises, and the results no doubt raises major concerns. From malaria to cancer, the continent continues to bear the highest burden of diseases that have long solutions elsewhere, or worse, diseases that remain neglected globally. Yet, the solution has always been within reach: Africa needs its own biomedical research revolution. The current model, where data, diagnostics, and drugs are imported, isn't just unsustainable, it creates a dependency that limits rapid responses to emerging threats and leaves local health systems perpetually unprepared. We will therefore consider some factors* The Price of Scientific Dependence: Consider this: when COVID-19 struck, African scientists were some of the last to access vaccine technology, clinical trial resources, and manufacturing capacity. The continent had to wait, negotiate, and sometimes beg for access to solutions. Meanwhile, region-specific diseases, such as Lassa fever, sickle cell disease, and schistosomiasis, remain under-researched because they are not considered global priorities. If Africa does not research its diseases, who will? This dependence not only delays responses but perpetuates inequity. It means millions die waiting for solutions that a robust, well-funded African biomedical research ecosystem could have delivered more quickly and affordably. Local science, local solutions: Homegrown biomedical research is about more than national pride. It ensures that health interventions are tailored to local genetics, environments, and socio-cultural contexts. For example, cancer drugs developed in Western labs may not account for unique genetic mutations prevalent among African populations, limiting their efficacy. By investing in local research, Africa can develop treatments tailored to its people, based on real-world data gathered from its diverse populations and ecosystems. It can create affordable diagnostics, accessible drugs, and policies grounded in science. Governments, the private sector, and regional bodies must step up their efforts. Investing in research is investing in the future: in pandemic preparedness, in reducing healthcare costs, and in creating a knowledge economy that can compete globally. A call to action: The African Union's ambition for health sovereignty can only be realized with strong biomedical research. Policymakers must embed research in national health strategies, universities must prioritize translational science, and private investors must see research as an opportunity, not a risk. Public health without biomedical research is essentially a matter of guesswork. And guesswork is not a strategy for a continent battling the double burden of infectious and non-communicable diseases. Science revolution for health equity: In conclusion, if Africa is to control its health destiny, it must lead in its scientific research. The time for dependency is over. A continent of over a billion people deserves more than hand-me-down science. It's time to fund our labs, empower our scientists, and generate the solutions we've always needed, because no one will understand our diseases better than we do. Copyright © 2022 Nigerian Tribune Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Zawya
2 days ago
- Zawya
Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and European Commission Launch New Initiative to Strengthen Mpox Testing and Sequencing Across Africa
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the European Commission today announced the launch of the Partnership to Accelerate Mpox Testing and Sequencing in Africa (PAMTA), a landmark initiative to boost diagnostics and outbreak response capabilities in Mpox-affected African countries. Co-funded under the EU4Health 2024 Work Programme, PAMTA reflects the growing momentum of Africa–EU health cooperation and aims to reinforce the continent's resilience against current and future health threats. The initiative will accelerate testing, sequencing, capacity building, and local manufacturing efforts for mpox and other priority pathogens across Africa through a €9.4 million to Africa CDC and the African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM), managed by the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA). The project officially began on 1 June 2025 and will be implemented over three years. Africa CDC Director General, H.E. Dr Jean Kaseya, welcomed the initiative as a timely and strategic intervention to close the diagnostic gap for Mpox and other outbreaks in Africa. 'This partnership reflects our commitment to working with trusted partners to build agile and self-reliant public health systems across Africa. Together with the EU and our technical partners, we are setting a new benchmark for outbreak detection and response.' The PAMTA initiative focuses on four key objectives: scaling up Mpox testing with the goal of supporting over 150,000 tests across the continent; strengthening genomic sequencing capacity to track viral evolution and spread; building human resource capacity in molecular diagnostics, genomics, bioinformatics and data interpretation; and promoting the production and validation of locally developed testing kits within Africa. 'PAMTA marks a historic milestone as the first initiative jointly signed between the European Commission and Africa CDC,' said Deputy Head of DG HERA, Laurent Muschel. 'Building on HERA's earlier donation of Mpox vaccines, this action enables a critical next step: strengthening diagnostic capacities as part of a broader medical countermeasures approach. It reflects our shared commitment to reinforcing epidemic preparedness across Africa — from vaccines to diagnostics, from innovation to manufacturing. This action shows that, together, the African Union and the European Union can deliver tangible results to protect lives.' The launch of PAMTA builds on broader efforts by the EU and its partners to address the Mpox outbreak. By mid-2025, more than 600,000 vaccine doses had been delivered to African countries through HERA and Team Europe. Simultaneously, research initiatives such as MPX-RESPONSE and EDCTP3 continue to explore new therapeutic options, while the Africa Pathogen Genomics Initiative (PGI)—also funded through EU4Health—is enhancing public health laboratory networks and genomic surveillance across the continent through public private partnerships. PAMTA marks a significant milestone in EU–Africa collaboration for health resilience. By supporting comprehensive diagnostics and fostering local innovation, the initiative is helping to lay a strong foundation for Africa's long-term pandemic preparedness and response capabilities. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
Gulf Business
2 days ago
- Gulf Business
UAE sets new standards for next-generation oral products
Credit: Getty Images In this interview, Alexandre Ghanem, Cluster Head of Middle East & North Africa (MENA) at BAT, discusses the significance of the new rules, how they align with global harm reduction efforts, and BAT's plans to launch a new portfolio in the UAE. Pictured: Alexandre Ghanem, Cluster Head of Middle East & North Africa (MENA) at BAT. What are BAT's plans for the UAE with this new regulatory framework in mind? The UAE's decision to issue regulatory requirements for tobacco-free oral nicotine pouches aligns with BAT's transformation and our vision of creating 'A Better Tomorrow'—a smokeless world driven by reducing the health impact of our business. Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) as a policy encourages adult consumers who would otherwise continue to smoke to switch to lower-risk alternatives. Adult smokers and nicotine users in the UAE are progressive and open to innovative products. The UAE standard now provides access to high-quality alternatives, which is why BAT plans to introduce a new portfolio of tobacco-free oral nicotine pouches under the VELO brand in the market, in line with our THR ambitions. How significant is regulating tobacco-free oral nicotine pouches to harm reduction in the UAE? The UAE continues to lead in regulatory innovation. The Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology's (MoIAT) decision to issue a technical standard for tobacco-free oral nicotine pouches reflects a strong commitment to public health and quality control. It is widely accepted that most harm from smoking comes from inhaling the smoke produced by burning tobacco—not from nicotine itself. Tobacco-free oral nicotine pouches, being smokeless and tobacco-free, present a reduced-risk profile when compared to combustible products, assuming a complete switch from smoking. How effective has the launch of BAT's tobacco-free nicotine pouches been elsewhere? Can that success be replicated in the UAE? Our tobacco-free nicotine pouches are currently available in over 40 countries, with 7.4 million adult consumers globally. VELO products are developed under rigorous stewardship and have been shown to contain 90–99 per cent fewer toxic chemicals compared to cigarette smoke. The broader category of oral nicotine pouches has contributed significantly to global public health by reducing smoking rates. Sweden is a notable example, where oral nicotine has largely replaced smoking over the past 70 years, resulting in the lowest smoking rate and lung cancer mortality rate in Europe—29.1 deaths per 100,000 compared to the EU average of 66.7 (2020 data). As of 2024, Sweden's smoking rate stands at 5.3 per cent, positioning it to achieve the WHO's 'smoke-free' status and putting the country 15 years ahead of the EU's 2040 target. Where do tobacco-free oral nicotine pouches fall on the risk continuum compared to cigarettes? Leading health bodies, including the US FDA, acknowledge that the main causes of smoking-related diseases are the harmful chemicals in tobacco smoke—not nicotine itself. In 2008, the WHO identified nine key toxicants in cigarette smoke. In VELO products, these are reduced by more than 99 per cent. While smokers may be addicted to nicotine, nicotine itself is not classified as a carcinogen. The Royal College of Physicians in London reinforces this, noting that the real danger lies in the smoke. If nicotine can be delivered in an effective and acceptable smokeless form, such as oral pouches, most—if not all—of the harm from smoking could potentially be avoided.
