The kick-off meeting, convened at the Africa CDC Office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, signified a pivotal moment in the collaboration between the African CDC and the European Commission Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) to strengthen outbreak detection and disease surveillance throughout Africa.

Through these projects implemented by the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA), Africa CDC, and HERA, in partnership with African Union (AU) Member States, the African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM) and the Africa Public Health Foundation (APHF), will strengthen national and regional capacities to promptly detect outbreaks, support the integration of AMR genomic surveillance, and facilitate swift and high-quality data sharing for public health decision-making.

His Excellency Dr Jean Kaseya, Director General of the Africa CDC, emphasized the significance of this partnership stating, “The increasing number of outbreaks is driven by complex ecological, climatic, political, economic, and social factors, all of which are becoming more exacerbated on our continent. These projects are poised to strengthen laboratory detection and surveillance of emerging, re-emerging, and endemic diseases, as well as antimicrobial-resistant pathogens in Africa. They also highlight the strategic partnership between Africa CDC and the European Commission.”

Laurent Muschel, Acting Director General of HERA, emphasized, “In the face of ongoing global health challenges, Africa CDC and HERA are taking together concrete actions to strengthen detection of outbreaks, AMR genomic surveillance, and timely data sharing across Africa. Fortifying multi-pathogen molecular detection and sequencing capabilities in the African Union is essential for global health security.”

Africa CDC’s shift towards Africa PGI 2.0 signifies a transition from emergency response to building an optimized, resilient, and integrated molecular diagnostic and genomic surveillance ecosystem. It is critical and timely to incorporate lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, and empower national and regional reference laboratories to expand their capabilities to detect and characterize epidemic and pandemic-prone diseases. As demonstrated in previous outbreaks, molecular detection and genomic sequencing improves early detection and response to public health emergencies. Mr. Nqobile Ndlovu, CEO of ASLM, remarked, “The launch of the two projects is pivotal in devising scalable and sustainable approaches for integrating molecular diagnostics and sequencing within Africa’s routine surveillance structures. We are eager to collaborate with the Africa CDC and HERA to strengthen laboratory systems ensuring effective responses to current and future health threats”.

“APHF will continue to strengthen collaboration with the Africa CDC and HERA to support the flagship Pathogen Genomics Initiative (Africa PGI) and advance public health laboratory systems for pandemic preparedness and response.” Said Dr. Ebere Okereke, CEO of APHF

The Africa CDC is working with ASLM, APHF, Member States, the Africa Laboratory Technical Working Group, and other partners to ensure the effective and successful implementation of the two projects.

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For more information:

Dr. Sofonias Tessema, Program Lead, Africa PGI |Africa CDC| sofoniast@africacdc.org

Media inquiries:

Ms. Margaret Muigai Edwin, Director, Communication & Public Information Directorate: Africa CDC |

Tel: +255 742 635 592 | Email: edwinm@africacdc.org

About Africa CDC

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) is the continental autonomous Health agency of the African Union that strengthens the capacity and capability of Africa’s public health institutions as well as partnerships to detect and respond quickly and effectively to disease threats and outbreaks, based on data-driven interventions and programmes. Learn more at: http://www.africacdc.org 

About Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority

The Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) is a directorate-general of the European Commission with a mission to prevent, detect, and rapidly respond to health emergencies. HERA aims to assess potential health threats, promote research and development, manufacturing, procurement, and equitable distribution of key medical countermeasures to strengthen the EU’s health emergency preparedness and response. Learn more at https://commission.europa.eu

About Africa Public Health Foundation 

The Africa Public Health Foundation exists to forge partnerships and mobilize resources to support critical public health initiatives across the continent, in support of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). Learn more at https://aphf.africa/

About African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM) The African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM) is a pan-African professional body working to advocate for the critical role and needs of laboratory medicine and networks throughout Africa. ASLM aims to strengthen healthcare systems through collaborative efforts with governments, local and international organizations, implementing partners, and the private sector. Learn more at www.aslm.org

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Timely and efficient data transfer through the internet plays a critical role in establishing a real-time public health genomic surveillance system. However, limited bandwidth internet access remains a significant challenge in Africa, hindering the timely transfer of data and effective utilization of cloud-based or open-source web-based bioinformatics solutions and databases. To address this issue, the Africa PGI, in collaboration with ASLM, BMGF, and SpaceX, initiated a pilot project in September 2023. The primary objective of this project is to enhance access to high-speed satellite-based internet, enabling real-time, or near-real-time, transfer of pathogen genomic data and facilitating access to cloud-based resources. This high-speed internet service will not only improve data transfer but also enhance other internet-based operations such as communication, e-learning, virtual meetings, video conferences, and various other activities. The pilot project is being implemented in all Member States that have obtained regulatory approval for the operation of SpaceX’s satellite-based internet.

With the continuous expansion of the Africa CDC laboratory network, digital transformation becomes imperative to enhance efficiency. In November 2023, the Africa CDC introduced a laboratory network information management system (NIMS – https://www.pgi-nims-africacdc.org/) to monitor and facilitate informed decision-making on network operations. The NIMS system serves as a valuable resource for Africa CDC, centers of excellence, regional and national laboratories, enabling efficient tracking of biological sample shipments and ensuring their integrity during transit from referral sites to destination facilities across the network. This system also supports cross-border sample referrals for testing and sequencing. The NIMS system has undergone successful piloting for cross-border sample referral in four sites and is currently being implemented for in-country sample referral in one site. The integration of connectivity, digitization, and innovative solutions in public health genomics in Africa will contribute significantly to the detection, response, and control of infectious diseases. By strengthening genomics capacity, improving internet access, and digitizing laboratory operations, Africa is poised to harness the full potential of genomics for public health surveillance and outbreak management.

For media enquiries please contact:

Dorothy Njagi | Senior Communication Officer- Communication & Public Information directorate | Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention| African Union| email: email: njagid@africacdc.org  | Website: www.africacdc.org| Addis Ababa| Ethiopia| Facebook | Twitter

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The initiative is built upon four strategic priorities. The first priority is to enhance foundational capacities by developing skilled workforce, and networks in the fields of molecular diagnostics, genomics and bioinformatics. The second priority is to strengthen data management, analysis, sharing and translation to inform public health response. The third priority is the implementation of high priority genomic use-cases for public health through an integrated genomic surveillance system. Finally, the fourth priority is to advocate for sustainability and enabling mechanisms through a collaborative community approach involving the whole community.

Through Africa PGI 2.0, Africa CDC is shifting its focus from emergency response to building an optimized, resilient, and integrated molecular diagnostic and genomic surveillance ecosystem.

Collaboration is at the heart of Africa PGI 2.0. as Africa CDC aims to strengthen the pivotal public-philanthropic-private partnerships and create the synergy needed to maximize the impact of genomics for disease control and prevention in Africa. By prioritizing capacity-building, data management, genomic surveillance, and collaboration, Africa PGI 2.0 sets the stage for leveraging genomics to address current and future public health challenges in Africa. Through this initiative, Africa is equipping itself with the necessary tools and expertise to lead the way in disease control and prevention through genomics.

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