Africa Establishes the Africa Epidemic Fund for Stronger Outbreak Response
Photo: Freepik.
Disease outbreaks are a serious threat to public health, and the current climate crisis can exacerbate them. Africa has established the Africa Epidemic Fund to provide flexible funding for outbreak preparedness and responses.
Health Emergencies in Africa
In 2024, Africa experienced one of the worst cholera outbreaks, recording over 340,000 cholera cases and 6,000 deaths in 18 countries since January 2022. This is an example of an epidemic, which refers to a disease that spreads rapidly to a large number of hosts within a short period of time.
As of February 2025, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) Epidemic Intelligence Report revealed that African countries are experiencing six disease outbreaks simultaneously: dengue virus, Lassa virus, measles virus, meningitis due to bacteria, Mpox virus, and Vibrio cholerae. The report also recorded high levels of human risk in several countries, including Sierra Leone (high risk of Lassa virus and Mpox virus) and Cameroon and Nigeria (high risk of Mpox virus).
Many of these diseases are characterized by a lack of proper sanitation and limited access to clean water, which is exacerbated by humanitarian conflicts. Additionally, climate change has brought extreme weather events, from droughts to major floods, which have put a heavier burden on healthcare systems at the country and regional levels.
Without proper responses, these diseases can result in high mortality rates in a region and significantly affect its welfare, wellbeing, and economies.
The Africa Epidemic Fund
The rapid spread of disease necessitates a rapid response and proper mitigation. WHO Africa underscores the central role of health financing in enabling progress toward effective health coverage and financial protection.
In March 2025, the Africa Epidemic Fund was formally established after the High-Level Meeting on Domestic Health Financing initiated by Africa CDC, the African Union Commission, and AUDA-NEPAD.
The Africa Epidemic Fund aims to provide Africa CDC with flexible funding with less administrative bureaucracy that allows rapid deployment where and when urgently needed. Overall, the fund seeks to strengthen health security across the continent through faster and more efficient outbreak responses and mitigation.
Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director General of Africa CDC, highlighted the transparency aspect of this fund. “The African Epidemic Fund will be available on the Africa CDC website. We want people to see, in real-time, how much funding we receive, how it is being used, and where it is allocated. That’s the level of transparency we are bringing to Africa.”
Stronger Healthcare System for All
The establishment of the Africa Epidemic Fund can enhance Africa’s capacity to respond to various health emergencies in the region. At the implementation level, the Africa CDC, governments, organizations, and other relevant stakeholders must ensure the effective, efficient, and accountable use of the funding to support tangible actions addressing the issues, such as by expanding access to healthcare, ensuring proper disbursement of funding and incentivization of workers, and fostering innovation in healthcare.
Editor: Nazalea Kusuma
Kresentia Madina
Madina is the Assistant Manager of Stakeholder Engagement at Green Network Asia. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English Studies from Universitas Indonesia. As part of the GNA In-House Team, she supports the organization's multi-stakeholder engagement across international organizations, governments, businesses, civil society, and grassroots communities through digital publications, events, capacity building, and research.
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