Africa CDC designates nine National Public Health Institutes as regional Centers of Excellence, allocating $1.6M for equipment, training, and capacity building to enhance disease control.
The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has allocated $1.6 million to support nine National Public Health Institutes (NPHIs) newly designated as regional Centers of Excellence. This investment aims to enhance disease surveillance, outbreak response, and public health research across the continent.
The selected NPHIs, based in Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, and Rwanda, will serve as hubs for peer-to-peer technical assistance and capacity building. Africa CDC plans to equip these institutes with data management centers, servers, and specialised software to improve disease monitoring.
Mozambique, Liberia, and Burundi will receive additional support to attain ISO 9001 accreditation, ensuring improved operational efficiency. Furthermore, Africa CDC will partner with the European CDC to facilitate knowledge exchange between African and European public health institutes.
Dr. Dougbeh Chris Nyan, Director General of Liberia’s NPHI, welcomed the initiative, emphasising its role in strengthening Africa’s public health systems. The move aligns with Africa CDC’s broader efforts to address fragmented disease response structures and enhance regional coordination.
