Fund Africa CDC from within—and hold it accountable: A call from a firm believer in its promise.

Holding Africa CDC to high standards is not criticism—it is belief in its future.

By Luchuo Engelbert Bain, MD, PhD, FAAS.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) stands as one of the most consequential institutional achievements in Africa’s modern public health history. Established in 2017 and rapidly elevated during the COVID-19 pandemic, Africa CDC represents a long-overdue expression of African agency in global health governance. Its very existence has reshaped how Africa engages the world on health security, pandemic preparedness, and collective action.

Yet institutions that matter must be examined seriously—not to weaken them, but to strengthen them. Africa CDC is indispensable. The question is not whether Africa should invest in it, but how to invest better, more strategically, and with clearer accountability so that its promise is fully realized.

1. From Coordination to Proactive Health Diplomacy

Africa CDC has built credibility as a technical convener, particularly during COVID-19, Mpox, Ebola outbreaks, and vaccine procurement efforts. The next phase requires a more assertive and proactive health diplomacy agenda. Global health is not neutral; it is political. Africa CDC must increasingly shape—not simply respond to—global norms on preparedness, financing, intellectual property, manufacturing, and data governance. This means:

• Speaking with a clearer continental voice in multilateral negotiations;
• Setting Africa-defined metrics of preparedness and resilience;
• Challenging inequitable global architectures, not only adapting to them.

This shift does not require confrontation for its own sake, but confident norm-setting grounded in evidence, diplomacy, and coalition-building. Africa CDC is well positioned to do this—but it must be empowered, resourced, and politically backed to move from technical excellence to strategic leadership.

2. Working Together Is the Default—The Question Is How

Debates around decolonisation, power, and global health partnerships are necessary—but they must be handled with intellectual discipline and honesty. The question is not whether Africa CDC should work with global partners. Indeed, it is already extensively funded from outside.

Emotional discourse, reactionary positioning, or performative decolonial language can undermine long-term collaboration. Africa CDC should:

• Be clear-eyed about where partnerships add value and where they dilute agency;
• Move beyond binary North–South framings toward functional, interest-aligned coalitions;
• Insist on co-design, shared ownership, and fair credit—without alienating potential allies.

3.  Clarity on Mandate: Internally and Externally

One of the most important—and constructive—recent interventions came from the Nigerian Minister of Health, who called for greater clarity around Africa CDC’s mandate and avoidance of duplication. This concern should not be dismissed. For Africa CDC to succeed, its role must be unambiguous:

• What does Africa CDC do that others should not?
• Where does it lead, where does it coordinate, and where does it defer to national institutions?
• How does it complement—not compete?

Clear mandate articulation is essential for Member States, partners, and funders alike. Without it, Africa CDC risks being perceived as a parallel structure rather than a catalytic one. With it, subsidiarity, trust, and effectiveness become possible.

With a clear mandate, it makes it easier for potential partners to know exactly where to come in and add strategic value.

4.  Managing Expectations and Growing – Expanding at the Right Pace

Africa CDC is often expected to do everything, everywhere, all at once. This is neither realistic nor fair. The institution remains understaffed relative to its ambitions and continental responsibilities. Managing expectations—internally and externally—is therefore critical. A stepwise, prioritised delivery model, aligned with staffing realities and funding horizons, will protect institutional credibility.

Strategic restraint is not weakness. It is governance.

Investing in Africa CDC must go hand in hand with investing in its people—through transparent recruitment, leadership development, and adequate staffing to match its expanding mandate.

5. Accountability and Transparency as Trust-Building Tools

For Africa CDC to command long-term trust—from Member States, funders, and citizens—it must model robust accountability and transparency, ideally in the public domain.

This includes:

• Clear, publicly accessible reporting on priorities, funding flows, and outcomes;
• Transparent recruitment processes, especially for senior leadership roles;
• Explicit criteria for decision-making and partnerships.

Accountability should not be seen as punitive. It is the foundation of legitimacy. Transparency builds confidence that Africa CDC is not only for Africa, but accountable to Africa.

6. Investing With Confidence—and With Expectations

Africa CDC is one of Africa’s most important public health investments. It has delivered under pressure, earned global respect, and created new possibilities for continental coordination. The solution is not less Africa CDC—but a stronger, clearer, more confident Africa CDC.

This requires:

• Sustained political and financial investment;
• A proactive health diplomacy agenda;
• Serious investment in African knowledge platforms like JPHIA;
• Clarity of mandate and subsidiarity;
• Managed growth and realistic expectations;
• And uncompromising accountability.

Africa does not simply need a CDC that responds faster. It needs one that thinks deeper, governs braver, communicates clearer, and earns trust deliberately.

Speeches and declarations—from Abuja to the SDGs and Lusaka Agenda—have clarified the path, yet progress has lagged.

The challenge is not knowledge; the solutions are known. What Africa needs now is political leadership that builds systems to implement them.

Africa CDC represents a bold promise for health sovereignty, coordination, and impact. But promise alone is not enough. It must be matched with sustained domestic financing, strategic partnerships, and accountability.

African philanthropy and public-private partnerships must step up. Africa CDC is uniquely positioned to be empowered to lead on this agenda.

With a clear mandate, Africa CDC can deliver—but only if we fund it from within and hold it accountable.

Holding Africa CDC to high standards is not criticism—it is belief in its future.