China and Korea have contributed $4 million to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) to help address urgent health funding shortfalls. This support comes as a response to financial gaps created by U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to freeze several aid programmes, according to Africa CDC’s top health advisory body.
Currently, Africa relies on external funding for about 84% of its healthcare needs, including a $500 million pledge from the United States that has since been reduced to $385 million, leaving a significant funding deficit.
In an online briefing on Thursday, Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya emphasized the importance of not only securing pledges but also ensuring that funds actually reach the agency. To bridge this gap, Africa CDC is actively engaging with the U.S. government under the principle that “our security is your security,” while also entering discussions with private sector partners, though specific organizations were not named.
Additionally, Kaseya announced the launch of an African Epidemic Fund, approved last week, which pools leftover COVID-19 funds and other locally raised resources. He described the fund as a “game changer” because it enables Africa CDC to access funds immediately, without needing permission from any African Union body, thereby providing greater flexibility to respond to outbreaks and build resilient health systems.
Kaseya also noted renewed momentum for local manufacturing in Africa, citing an upcoming agreement for the technical transfer of a mpox vaccine from Bavarian Nordic A/S to an African company, with final contract details still pending.
He warned that Africa is currently facing an unprecedented convergence of crises that could reverse decades of progress in health security and economic development.
According to projections by Africa CDC, without urgent intervention, financial constraints could reverse hard-won health gains and lead to an estimated 2 to 4 million additional deaths annually from preventable and treatable diseases.
Beyond the human toll, Kaseya stressed that these funding gaps could push approximately 39 million more people into poverty and result in billions of dollars in economic losses each year.
