The Pan-African Parliament (PAP) is pushing for a stronger role for the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) in coordinating Africa’s response to public health threats.

The move follows a resolution adopted by the PAP Committee on Health, Labour and Social Affairs, chaired by Ghanaian legislator Frank Annoh-Dompreh.

The resolution seeks deeper cooperation between the Pan-African Parliament and Africa CDC to strengthen disease prevention, emergency response and health security across the continent.

The PAP said Africa CDC’s mandate has become increasingly important following repeated health crises, including HIV, Ebola, COVID-19, mpox, Marburg and recurring cholera outbreaks.

It noted that these emergencies have exposed weaknesses in health systems, including fragmented institutional responsibilities, limited cross-border information sharing, slow emergency procurement and inadequate emergency financing.

The resolution recalled the establishment of Africa CDC in 2015 and its elevation to an autonomous technical institution of the African Union in 2022.

It also recognised the agency’s authority to declare Public Health Emergencies of Continental Security, a power exercised for the first time in August 2024 during the mpox outbreak.

The PAP is calling on African Union member states to accelerate the integration of Africa CDC frameworks into national laws.

These include areas such as biosafety and biosecurity, national public health institutes, legal preparedness for health emergencies, data governance, local manufacturing of health products, infection prevention and control, and cross-border health cooperation.

The committee also reaffirmed the Abuja Declaration commitment requiring countries to allocate at least 15% of their national budgets to the health sector.

It called on member states to establish statutory contingency funds to support emergency health responses.

The PAP further urged countries to strengthen health data systems and support the ratification and domestication of continental frameworks, including the African Union Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection and the AU Data Policy Framework.

The resolution encouraged faster ratification and implementation of the Treaty establishing the African Medicines Agency and the AU Model Law on Medical Products Regulation.

According to the PAP, these measures are necessary to improve Africa’s ability to manage health emergencies and reduce dependence on external support.

The committee has also requested continued technical support from Africa CDC for the Pan-African Parliament and national parliaments on pandemic preparedness and intervention.

It has proposed a Memorandum of Understanding between the two institutions to provide a framework for cooperation through the Committee on Health and Social Affairs.

The PAP said strengthening the partnership with Africa CDC is essential to delivering the Africa Health Security and Sovereignty Agenda, which is built around stronger public health governance, expanded health product manufacturing, investment in health workers, increased domestic health financing and trusted health data.