On the sidelines of the Third International Conference on Public Health in Africa in Lusaka, Zambia, the United States government and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) announced a Joint Action Plan aimed at advancing a shared vision to enhance public health systems and achieve improved health outcomes in Africa.
The Joint Action Plan, disclosed on November 28, delineates key activities fostering collaboration between the U.S. government and Africa CDC to realize the objectives outlined in the Memorandum of Cooperation to Promote Public Health Partnership.
This memorandum was signed by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki in March 2022.
This strategic plan marks a significant stride towards fortified and more extensive collaboration between the United States and Africa CDC, capitalizing on existing health investments and partnerships across the African continent.
The plan is designed to facilitate institutional strengthening, expert exchanges, and knowledge-sharing, aligning with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the Africa CDC Strategic Plan 2023-2027.
Moreover, it aims to promote integrated health systems, bolster public health emergency response capacity, enhance clinical and laboratory systems, and support innovation and local manufacturing of health products.
The U.S. government and Africa CDC plan to convene regular meetings of technical experts in Addis Ababa and Washington to operationalize, review, and update the Joint Action Plan.
This iterative process aims to adapt to shared public health needs and global health security requirements. The initiative underscores the commitment of both entities to collaborate on vital public health issues and contribute to advancing healthcare outcomes in Africa.
