President Bola Tinubu signed the host agreement for the Africa CDC's Western Regional Coordinating Centre to be situated in Abuja, Nigeria.
President Tinubu's official signing of the Africa CDC regional offices in Abuja highlights Nigeria's dedication to regional and global health security. The RCC in West Africa will better address pressing health challenges and promote resilience against emerging threats. Enhancing global health security in West Africa is paramount for improving disease surveillance and promoting collaboration among Member States; the region can effectively mitigate threats and respond to public health crises.
The 2014 Ebola outbreak resulted in thousands of deaths and posed significant challenges to public health systems, underscoring the critical importance of global health security measures in the region. The outbreak highlighted the need for robust surveillance systems, rapid response mechanisms, and effective coordination among international partners to contain the spread of infectious diseases. Moreover, it exposed gaps in healthcare infrastructure, workforce capacity, and access to essential medical supplies. Through the establishment of the RCC, Member States in the region are better equipped to monitor, detect, and respond to infectious diseases and other health emergencies.
The RCC further aims to boost local economic opportunities in healthcare and strengthen Nigeria's and West Africa's swift response to outbreaks, which is crucial for the continent's well-being and stability. By prioritizing these areas, the region can build robust healthcare systems capable of safeguarding its populations' well-being and contributing to broader international health security efforts.
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President Tinubu's visionary leadership continues to inspire confidence in Africa's collective ability to overcome the most pressing public health challenges of our time. We also recall that H.E. President Bola Tinubu was appointed the African Union (AU) Champion for Human Resources for Health and Community Health Delivery Partnership at the recent 37th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union. This significant appointment aims to accelerate the initiative to deploy two (2) million Community Health Workers throughout Africa. Such an initiative is poised to strengthen the continent's ability to provide essential health services at the grassroots level, thereby enhancing healthcare accessibility and inclusivity for all Africans.
Nigeria's bold strides toward becoming a cornerstone of health security in the region is a bold step toward realizing the continent's vision of a prosperous, healthy, and interconnected future for all its citizens.
Africa CDC is structured to employ a decentralized approach to the distinct regions to enable collaboration with Member States' National Public Health Institutes (NPHIs). This is facilitated through five Regional Coordination Centres (RCCs) strategically positioned as follows: Central in Gabon, Eastern in Kenya, Northern in Egypt, Southern in Zambia and Western in Nigeria.
