15 Apr Turning the Tide: Africa CDC’s Strategy to Fill Health Funding Gaps is a Call for Sustained Domestic Action, Not Charity.Nigeria’s Proactive Response to USAID Funding Freeze: A Model for Sustainable Health Financing.

As official development assistance to Africa drops by nearly 70%, the continent is facing a pivotal moment. For decades, international support helped drive gains in child survival, HIV treatment and epidemic response. However, with shrinking external reserves and a surge in public health emergencies, African institutions are being called to chart a new course- one that is centred around African-led, African-funded solutions.

At the forefront of this shift is the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). Under the leadership of Director General Dr. Jean Kaseya, the agency is spearheading a three-pronged strategy to sustain public health progress amidst global funding volatility: scaling domestic investment, piloting innovative financing mechanisms and building partnerships grounded in co-investment- not charity.

Domestic Financing: From Commitment to Action

Africa CDC’s message is unequivocal: Africa must step up domestic financing for health. While global partners continue to play a vital role, only two AU Member States currently meet the Abuja target of allocating at least 15% of national budgets to health. Dr. Kaseya is urging Member States to develop costed strategic plans and national financing frameworks to better align and absorb both domestic and external resources.

This call for African countries to “own the agenda” is more than rhetoric- it reflects the new reality. If the continent is to respond effectively to surging epidemics, climate-related health risks, and emerging threats like Mpox and viral haemorrhagic fevers, the first line of defence must be locally led and locally funded.

Building the Infrastructure of Resilience

Beyond budgetary commitments, Africa CDC is championing structural investments. The launch of the Africa Epidemics Fund, announced in February 2025, marks a major milestone in establishing a pooled continental resource for emergency preparedness and response. The African Union agency is also exploring regionally driven funding models, including an airline tax and solidarity levies to provide reliable homegrown financing during health crises.

In parallel, Africa CDC is expanding access to essential health commodities through the African Pooled Procurement Mechanism, while strengthening disease surveillance using tools like DHIS2. These investments are laying the groundwork for long-term health resilience- systems that can withstand future shocks and reduce dependence on external emergency aid.

Co-Investment Over Charity: Redefining Partnerships

While the agency is actively engaging international stakeholders, the tone is different: it’s no longer about assistance dependency, but about shared responsibility and co-investment. During recent missions to the U.S., Norway and Denmark, Africa CDC emphasised that global health security begins with strong African health systems and that, support for Africa is support for the world.

This message resonated, leading to a new Memorandum of Understanding with the Kingdom of Norway and high-level diplomatic discussions with philanthropic institutions such as the Gates and Rockefeller Foundations.

As Dr. Kaseya put it: “We are asking for solidarity, not sympathy. What we are building is a firewall that protects not only Africa, but the world.”

A Defining Moment for African-Led Health Solutions

The road ahead won’t be easy. Africa CDC is requesting $43 million to roll out the current strategy-a figure that will support national health financing plans, monitoring tools, innovative funding pilots and more. However, the real story here is not just about the dollar amount; it is about what this moment represents.

Dr. Ngashi Ngongo, Principal Advisor at Africa CDC, framed it fittingly: “If this is the new normal- if that is the direction the world is taking, how do we remain fit in that context? What adjustments do we need to make on our side to turn this challenge into an opportunity for Africa?”

That opportunity lies in African-led and African-funded solutions. In political declarations from Angola and Ethiopia, in new financing models and in continental unity around public health, the message is clear: Africa is not waiting to be rescued- it is leading its own response!

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