Africa and EU Launch €9.4M Partnership to Bolster Mpox Response Across Continent
Addis Ababa/Brussels – The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the European Commission have jointly announced the Partnership to Accelerate Mpox Testing and Sequencing in Africa (PAMTA), a significant new initiative aimed at strengthening diagnostic capabilities and outbreak response in nations affected by mpox.
Funded under the EU4Health 2024 Work Programme, PAMTA represents a deepening collaboration between African and European health authorities. Its core mission is to enhance the continent’s resilience against current and future health threats. The initiative, managed by the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA), will receive €9.4 million to be shared between the Africa CDC and the African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM). Implementation began on June 1, 2025, and will run for three years.
Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director General of the Africa CDC, welcomed PAMTA as a crucial step. “This partnership reflects our commitment to working with trusted partners to build agile and self-reliant public health systems across Africa,” he stated. “Together with the EU and our technical partners, we are setting a new benchmark for outbreak detection and response.”
PAMTA focuses on four key pillars:
- Scaling Testing: Supporting over 150,000 mpox tests across Africa.
- Enhancing Genomic Sequencing: Building capacity to track how the virus evolves and spreads.
- Building Expertise: Training professionals in laboratory skills and data analysis.
- Boosting Local Production: Promoting the development and validation of testing kits made within Africa.
Laurent Muschel, Deputy Head of the European Commission’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA), highlighted the significance of this joint effort. “PAMTA marks a historic milestone as the first initiative jointly signed between the European Commission and Africa CDC,” he said. “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. This action shows that, together, the African Union and the European Union can deliver tangible results to protect lives.”
The launch builds on substantial existing EU support. By mid-2025, over 600,000 mpox vaccine doses had been delivered to African countries through HERA and Team Europe. Concurrently, research initiatives like MPX-RESPONSE and EDCTP3 are exploring new treatments, while the EU-funded Africa Pathogen Genomics Initiative (PGI) strengthens laboratory networks and genomic surveillance across the continent.
PAMTA stands as a landmark in EU-Africa health cooperation. By advancing comprehensive diagnostics and nurturing local innovation, the initiative is laying a vital foundation for Africa’s long-term ability to prepare for and respond to pandemics.
