TheCable

President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of the regional coordinating centre (RCC) of the Africa Centres for Disease Control (Africa CDC) in Nigeria.

The Africa CDC is the health arm of the African Union (AU) designed to strengthen the continent’s public health institutions and systems’ capacities.

It is also to respond effectively to public health threats and outbreaks based on evidence-based policies, programmes, and interventions.

The Africa CDC currently has five regional coordinating centres in Gabon, Kenya, Nigeria, and Zambia.

In a statement on Thursday, Ajuri Ngelale, the presidential spokesperson, said Tinubu’s approval for the establishment of the Centre is anchored on his effort to convey Nigeria’s commitment to regional and global health security.

“The centre will also bring with it enormous socio-economic benefits in the form of enhancing aggregate national productivity and reversing human capacity drain, even as the ability of indigenous medical professionals and scientists will be bolstered to respond adequately to old, recent, and emerging diseases, not only in Nigeria but across the continent,” the statement reads. 

Last month, Jean Kaseya, director-general (DG) of the Africa CDC, said the organisation is working towards a future where health security is not a privilege.

Kaseya said while the COVID-19 pandemic tested the organisation’s strength, its strategic and unified response facilitated the administration of over 2.5 million vaccine doses in Africa.