In a strong act of continental solidarity, His Excellency João Lourenço, President of the Republic of Angola and Chairperson of the African Union, announced a landmark voluntary contribution of USD 5 million to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), reaffirming Angola’s leadership and enduring commitment to strengthening regional health security and sustainable health financing.
The announcement came after a high-level meeting held earlier that week, on April 21, in Luanda between President Lourenço and Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director General of Africa CDC. During the meeting, the two leaders discussed regional health priorities and the urgent need to mitigate the impact of declining development assistance.
Reacting to the pledge, Dr. Kaseya commended President Lourenço’s bold and visionary leadership: “President Lourenço’s leadership reflects Africa’s collective determination to finance our health future,” said Dr. Kaseya. “This commitment is not only historic—it sends a powerful signal that Africa is ready to lead from the front, with bold investments and African-led solutions.”
President Lourenço also committed to convening a Committee of African Heads of State to champion the implementation of Africa CDC’s continental strategy, “Rethinking African Health Financing in a New Era” — a bold response to the sharp 70% decline in external development assistance for health across the continent.
In support of local manufacturing, Dr. Kaseya announced that Africa CDC will support Angola’s plan for production of mosquito bed nets —an initiative aimed at strengthening vector control and expanding regional production capacity. President Lourenço welcomed Africa CDC’s commitment to advancing local manufacturing of health commodities and confirmed that a major national initiative aligned with this vision will soon be launched.
The two leaders also discussed Angola’s response to the ongoing cholera outbreak, with Dr. Kaseya commending the country’s efforts and reaffirming Africa CDC’s full financial and technical support. He further acknowledged Angola’s essential role in advancing continental solidarity and public health resilience.
This announcement marks a major milestone in Africa CDC’s continued efforts to rally political leadership, domestic financing, and unified continental action around the New Public Health Order and the Lusaka Agenda. The agency continues to work closely with all AU Member States to build inclusive, self-reliant, and resilient health systems for Africa’s 1.4 billion people.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
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