Africa CDC unhappy with allocation of limited pandemic fund

Addis Ababa, July 27, 2023 (FBC) – Africa CDC commends the Pandemic Fund for the outcome of the first call for proposals with 19 Grants approved, which is praiseworthy given the gaps in meeting the initial commitment of 1.6 billion dollars pledged by donors at the Fund’s launching, African CDC stated on its statement on the allocation of funding in the first call for proposals by the Pandemic Fund.

Africa CDC notes that only 9% of African countries (5 out of the 55 AU Member States) representing less than 5% of Africa’s population will benefit from this first call of proposals.

“While congratulating the five countries and committing to support them for implementation, Africa CDC remains concerned about the limited impact of this first allocation on pandemic preparedness, prevention, and response (PPPR) in Africa due to its limited size and lack of regional approach”, African CDC has stated.

Africa CDC said that Africa is the only region without a regional proposal. In contrast, other regions adopted a regional approach to maximize the impact of the Pandemic Fund on their entire countries and populations.

It added that the considerable discrepancy stems from the Pandemic Fund’s failure to acknowledge the vital role that Africa CDC could have played as an Implementing Entity for the Fund, considering its central role in supporting health initiatives across the continent.

Africa CDC has echoed the call from African Heads of State and Government for a better representation of Africa in all multilateral constituencies.

It further urged for equitable representation of African countries and regional organizations in the relevant structures to ensure fair and inclusive outcomes.