Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — 02 February 2026 - The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has opened its first dedicated warehouse, marking a major milestone in strengthening the continent's capacity to procure, store and rapidly dispatch critical medical supplies during public health emergencies.
The 1,000-square-metre warehouse, located at the Africa CDC headquarters in Addis Ababa, is equipped with cold storage systems to safely store medical and other essential supplies.
Africa CDC Deputy Director General Dr Raji Tajudeen said the facility significantly enhances the agency's operational readiness. "We now have what it takes to respond in the most efficient and timely manner to disease outbreaks," he said, noting that rapid access to medical products can mean the difference between containment and escalation.
Funded by the Mastercard Foundation through mpox emergency response funding, the facility was developed with the support of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), which provided end-to-end supply chain expertise - from design and engineering supervision to logistics, cold storage systems and safety compliance.
WFP's African Union Global Office Acting Director, Lydie Kouame, described the initiative as "a powerful example of what strong partnerships can deliver." She added, "The warehouse will allow Africa CDC to rapidly dispatch critical supplies, exactly the kind of capacity that saves time, and ultimately, saves lives."
Dr Tajudeen said WFP has been a trusted operational partner during major public health emergencies. "During the COVID-19 pandemic and more recently the mpox outbreak response, WFP provided essential in-country logistics and supported the movement of personnel and supplies when it mattered most," he said.
The facility represents a core pillar of Africa CDC's Supply Chain Framework, which focuses on strengthening warehousing capacity and prepositioning essential emergency supplies. Additional strategic infrastructure is under development, including a regional warehouse in Douala, Cameroon, within the African Union Continental Logistics Base and financed by the African Development Bank.
Both the Addis Ababa and Douala warehouses will be equipped with high-quality, temperature-controlled systems and will serve as critical hubs for accelerating the delivery of emergency health supplies across the continent.
"Emergency response is highly dependent on preparedness," said Tesfaye Hailemichael, Head of the Africa CDC Supply Chain Division. "These investments ensure supplies are ready, coordinated and rapidly deployable when they are most needed."
