The Lancet Global Health: Establishing the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention: responding to Africa’s health threats
John N. Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); Olawale Maiyegun, director of the Department of Social Affairs at the African Union Commission; and Matshidiso Moeti, director of the WHO Regional Office for Africa

“…[T]he recent Ebola virus disease pandemic clearly calls for greater investment in strengthening national responses [to disease outbreaks]. How successful the Africa CDC becomes in its mission will be determined by its capacity to develop the right partnerships, including with the private sector to invest in public health as a public good, adopting innovative approaches, and mobilizing adequate resources. Through this inclusive approach, the Africa CDC is expected to fill a niche that enables rapid acquisition of critical public health surveillance data linked to joint response capabilities, which would mitigate the gap in response that has characterized public health events of significance in the past. It is now clear that disease outbreaks in Africa constitute national, economic, and health security threats that can quickly evolve into global health crises. We call for a strong commitment at the G20 summit in July, 2017, to championing the Africa CDC’s strategic approach and its capacity to strengthen or establish [National Public Health Institutes (NPHIs)] — a critical step in enabling countries to identify threats early and respond effectively” (March 2017).