What's happened
On April 11, 2025, the Africa CDC announced a new strategy to enhance health financing across the continent. This initiative aims to address a significant funding crisis and improve disease control, maternal care, and pandemic preparedness, emphasizing self-reliance and domestic investment in health systems.
What's behind the headline?
Key Points of the Strategy
- Self-Reliance: Dr. Jean Kaseya emphasizes that Africa must take ownership of its health security, moving away from reliance on external aid.
- Innovative Financing: The strategy proposes new revenue mechanisms, including solidarity levies on airline tickets and mobile services, to generate sustainable funding.
- Phased Implementation: The plan will roll out in two phases, focusing first on updating health financing plans in 30 countries and later scaling successful approaches.
- Monitoring Progress: An African Health Financing Scorecard will be introduced to track results and ensure accountability.
Implications
This strategy marks a pivotal shift towards sustainable health financing in Africa, potentially enabling countries to finance a significant portion of their health budgets domestically. The emphasis on innovative financing and accountability could lead to improved health outcomes and greater resilience against future health crises.
What the papers say
According to All Africa, the Africa CDC's strategy is a response to an 'unprecedented financing crisis' that threatens health services across the continent. Dr. Kaseya stated, 'Africa cannot continue outsourcing its health security,' highlighting the need for ownership and investment in local health systems. Bloomberg also noted the urgency of this initiative, emphasizing that the continent faces the highest disease burden, necessitating immediate action to bolster pandemic preparedness and maternal health services. The Africa CDC's approach aims to mobilize domestic resources and improve health infrastructure, which is crucial given the recent surge in disease outbreaks.
How we got here
The Africa CDC's announcement comes amid a 41% increase in disease outbreaks from 2022 to 2024 and a decline in official development assistance. This situation threatens to reverse progress in health across the continent, necessitating urgent reforms.
Go deeper
- What are the innovative financing mechanisms proposed?
- How will this strategy impact health services in Africa?
- What are the expected outcomes of the phased implementation?
More on these topics
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Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.3 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area and 20% of its land area.
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The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention is a public health agency of the African Union to support the public health initiatives of member states and strengthen the capacity of their health institutions to deal with disease threats.
