In a momentous announcement at the Third International Conference on Public Health in Africa in Lusaka, Zambia, on November 28th, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the U.S. government ushered in a new era of collaboration with the unveiling of a Joint Action Plan. This plan is poised to propel the shared vision of fortifying public health systems and fostering enhanced health outcomes throughout Africa.
The Joint Action Plan, a testament to the commitment outlined in the Memorandum of Cooperation to Promote Public Health Partnership signed by African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki and Secretary of State Antony Blinken in March 2022, encapsulates pivotal activities earmarked for the Africa CDC and U.S. government. These activities are meticulously designed to realize the objectives identified in the memorandum, serving as a blueprint for the drive towards a robust public health infrastructure.
This landmark collaboration symbolizes an epochal stride towards closer cooperation between Africa CDC and the U.S., capitalizing on their respective investments and partnerships across the African continent. It is slated to facilitate institutional strengthening, foster exchange of expertise, and engender a culture of knowledge-sharing, all in alignment with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the Africa CDC Strategic Plan 2023-2027. Moreover, it aims to champion integrated health systems, bolster the capacity for public health emergency response, shore up clinical and laboratory systems, and stimulate innovation and domestic production of health commodities.
Furthermore, the Africa CDC and U.S. government have expressed their intent to regularly convene meetings of technical experts in Addis Ababa and Washington. These gatherings are designed to operationalize, review, and refine the Joint Action Plan, thereby lending continual support to the common public health imperatives and global health security prerequisites.
This historical initiative not only underscores the unwavering commitment to fortifying public health capabilities in Africa but also heralds a new dawn of transcontinental collaboration to safeguard the health and well-being of nations.
