Michael Gwarisa
The African Union and the European Commission have strengthened their health partnership with the launch of three new initiatives valued at more than €100 million under the Global Gateway strategy, in a move aimed at boosting health security, pandemic preparedness, and digital health systems across Africa.
Working through the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the initiatives are designed to support national public health institutes, enhance disease surveillance, and expand digital health solutions to improve both emergency response and primary healthcare delivery on the continent.
The development signals a growing alignment between the African Union and the European Commission on advancing Africa’s Health Security and Sovereignty Agenda, with a focus on building resilient and self sustaining health systems.
The initiatives were officially launched at a high level event attended by Africa CDC Director General Jean Kaseya, European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Síkela, and Ethiopia’s Minister of Health Mekdes Daba, alongside representatives from AU and EU member states and international partners.
Síkela said strong health systems are as critical to security as energy or supply chains, noting that the new initiatives will strengthen Africa’s capacity to detect outbreaks, respond to pandemics, and manage its own health priorities. He said the investment represents a shared commitment to a more secure future for both continents.
Dr Kaseya emphasised the strategic importance of the AU EU partnership on health, noting:
“As African and European priorities on global health and equitable access continue to converge, this partnership helps turn shared commitments into action. Through the Health Security and Sovereignty Agenda, Africa is strengthening its capacity to build resilient health systems, improve preparedness, and reduce dependency by producing, financing and managing more of its own health priorities.”
The initiatives will be implemented at both continental and regional levels, with targeted support in AU member states. They will focus on strengthening national public health institutes to deliver core functions such as disease surveillance, early warning systems, emergency response, research, and laboratory services across 10 countries.
They will also enhance health security through a One Health approach, including efforts to prevent, detect, and respond to antimicrobial resistance, as well as workforce development. In addition, the programmes will expand digital health solutions to support pandemic preparedness and strengthen primary healthcare systems in six AU member states.
The rollout marks a significant scale up of Africa led health security efforts, placing Africa CDC at the centre of implementation and coordination as partners intensify responses to current and emerging health threats while advancing the continent’s health sovereignty.
Implementation will be carried out in collaboration with AU member states, Team Europe, and several international partners, including the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, the International Center for Antimicrobial Resistance Solutions, the African Society for Laboratory Medicine, and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
The launch also aligns with the European Commission’s forthcoming Global Health Resilience Initiative expected later this year.
The EU Africa CDC partnership continues to play a central role in strengthening resilient health systems across the continent through technical expertise, capacity building, and policy dialogue. It builds on recent high level engagements such as the 7th AU EU Summit and the AU EU Health Partnership Steering Meeting held in 2025.
Under the Global Gateway strategy, EU investments are driving transformation in African healthcare systems, including scaling up local vaccine manufacturing and strengthening pharmaceutical supply chains in line with Africa CDC priorities.
The AU EU Health Partnership focuses on sustainable health security through a One Health approach, strengthened public health capacity, digital innovation, and workforce development.
Now marking over 25 years of collaboration, the AU EU partnership continues to advance shared priorities across prosperity, peace, people, and planet, highlighting the importance of multilateral cooperation in addressing global health challenges.
