The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), in collaboration with the Mastercard Foundation under the Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative, has provided state-of-the-art cold chain equipment to five (5) African Union Member States. These Member States are Botswana, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Zambia, are part of the initial delivery targeting a total of 32 Member States in the phase one investment for the procurement of Cold Chain Equipment (CCE). The equipment was procured and delivered through the support of UNICEF, one of the initiative's implementing partners. The support aligns with the Africa CDC goal of strengthening healthcare systems and enhancing the response to vaccine-preventable diseases.
The cumulative equipment across the five (5) Member States, which consists of 465 refrigerators and freezers, 1,150 temperature monitors, 5,253 vaccine carriers and cold boxes, and 2 cold rooms, all valued up to USD 3.3 million, will significantly enhance the healthcare infrastructure and capabilities. The equipment is designed to efficiently manage vaccines and vital medical supplies, supporting the expansion of COVID-19 vaccination and other programs, including routine Immunization, which aims to ensure safe and effective vaccines reach every child. By expanding the cold chain storage capacity, the Ministries of Health will be able to offer a more comprehensive vaccination program and improve vaccine coverage rates.
H.E Dr. Jean Kaseya, the Africa CDC Director General, emphasizes the significant benefits of this equipment in minimizing vaccine wastage due to temperature fluctuations. "This optimization allows the Ministries of Health to allocate healthcare budgets more effectively and allocate resources to other critical areas of healthcare. The availability of CCE facilitates extensive immunization activities, reaching remote and underserved communities. This, in turn, leads to improved vaccine coverage rates, reducing the prevalence of vaccine-preventable diseases, including COVID-19, and strengthening health security in Africa towards attaining global health security," Dr Kaseya said.
The provision of Cold Chain Equipment is crucial in preserving vaccines and maintaining the efficacy of temperature-sensitive medical supplies. The addition of freezers and refrigerators enables member states to store a wider range of vaccines, including those requiring ultra-low temperatures like COVID-19. This expansion of cold chain storage is essential to pandemic preparedness and will enable member states to offer more comprehensive vaccination programs.
The cold boxes and vaccine carriers provide reliable transportation while maintaining the recommended vaccine temperature, ensuring vaccine efficacy and safety. This feature increases geographic coverage and contributes to improved immunization service delivery and health security in Africa by enhancing the capacity of Ministries of Health to manage vaccines and strengthen their cold chain systems.
During the handover ceremony in Zambia, the Honorable Sylvia Masebo, the Minister of Health of the Republic of Zambia, highlighted that the support from Afric a CDC aligns with Zambia's goals to have readily available life-saving vaccines and strengthened cold chain capacity, and the Ministry will seek more equipment to build on the gains made, while implementing the integration of COVID-19 vaccines into primary healthcare services.
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The Africa CDC, Mastercard Foundation, and UNICEF anticipate the successful installation and efficient use of these CCEs in healthcare facilities, positively catalyzing and strengthening the healthcare landscape in the Member States. With this support, the Ministries of Health are better positioned to respond effectively to public health emergencies, ensuring equitable access to vaccines and treatments. The support provided by the Africa CDC and the Mastercard Foundation demonstrates their commitment to strengthening healthcare systems in Africa. It underscores the importance of collective collaboration in addressing global health challenges and ensuring vaccine equity for Africa.
