Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) kicked-off two groundbreaking projects: the Integrated Genomic Surveillance and Data Sharing Platform (IGS) and Integrated Genomic Surveillance for Outbreak Detection (DETECT). These initiatives, co-funded by the European Union, are poised to fortify the Africa Pathogen Genomics Initiative (Africa PGI 2.0), enhancing the capacity of member states for molecular detection of outbreaks, AMR genomic surveillance, and timely data sharing across Africa.
The kick-off meeting, convened at the Africa CDC Office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, signified a pivotal moment in the collaboration between the African CDC and the European Commission Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) to strengthen outbreak detection and disease surveillance throughout Africa.
Through these projects, Africa CDC and HERA, in partnership with African Union (AU) Member States, the African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM) and the Africa Public Health Foundation (APHF), will strengthen national and regional capacities to promptly detect outbreaks, support the integration of AMR genomic surveillance, and facilitate swift and high-quality data sharing for public health decision-making.
His Excellency Dr Jean Kaseya, Director General of the Africa CDC, emphasized the significance of this partnership stating, "The increasing number of outbreaks is driven by complex ecological, climatic, political, economic, and social factors, all of which are becoming more exacerbated on our continent. These projects are poised to strengthen laboratory detection and surveillance of emerging, re-emerging, and endemic diseases, as well as antimicrobial-resistant pathogens in Africa. They also highlight the strategic partnership between Africa CDC and the European Commission."
Laurent Muschel, Acting Director General of HERA, emphasized, "In the face of ongoing global health challenges, Africa CDC and HERA are taking together concrete actions to strengthen detection of outbreaks, AMR genomic surveillance, and timely data sharing across Africa. Fortifying multi-pathogen molecular detection and sequencing capabilities in the African Union is essential for global health security."
Africa CDC's shift towards Africa PGI 2.0 signifies a transition from emergency response to building an optimized, resilient, and integrated molecular diagnostic and genomic surveillance ecosystem. It is critical and timely to incorporate lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, and empower national and regional reference laboratories to expand their capabilities to detect and characterize epidemic and pandemic-prone diseases. As demonstrated in previous outbreaks, molecular detection and genomic sequencing improves early detection and response to public health emergencies. Mr. Nqobile Ndlovu, CEO of ASLM, remarked, "The launch of the two projects is pivotal in devising scalable and sustainable approaches for integrating molecular diagnostics and sequencing within Africa's routine surveillance structures. We are eager to collaborate with the Africa CDC and HERA to strengthen laboratory systems ensuring effective responses to current and future health threats".
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"APHF will continue to strengthen collaboration with the Africa CDC and HERA to support the flagship Pathogen Genomics Initiative (Africa PGI) and advance public health laboratory systems for pandemic preparedness and response." Said Dr. Ebere Okereke, CEO of APHF
The Africa CDC is working with ASLM, APHF, Member States, the Africa Laboratory Technical Working Group, and other partners to ensure the effective and successful implementation of the two projects.
