China and Africa are poised to deepen cooperation in public health, with plans to strengthen infectious disease surveillance and laboratory capabilities across the continent while boosting local manufacturing of health products, according to officials and experts.
The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention signed a joint initiative on Friday aimed at "building a new line of defense" against infectious diseases. The initiative was signed at the first China-Africa Public Health Forum, held in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, from Friday to Saturday.
In line with the initiative, the two sides will prioritize cooperation in disease surveillance and risk assessment, laboratory diagnostics and quality control, and emergency response coordination, Wang Jianwei, director of China CDC, said at the forum.
"We will also partner with the United Nations Children's Fund, the Gates Foundation and other institutions to promote the evaluation, validation and application of suitable products in Africa, all guided by their practical needs," Wang said.
The cooperation will involve identifying African countries' needs for diagnostic mechanisms, vaccines and medicines, assessing the suitability of products for local conditions, exploring viable approaches to technology transfer and local production, and improving access to these products, he added.
Raji Tajudeen, deputy director-general of Africa CDC, said more than 1.5 billion people across the 55 member states of the African Union continue to face multiple converging risks, including epidemics, antimicrobial resistance, climate-sensitive diseases, fragile supply chains and constrained fiscal space.
Africa is striving to build a more self-reliant and resilient health system with stronger local manufacturing capabilities, in line with the Africa Health Security and Sovereignty Agenda approved by member states in 2025.
"China-Africa collaboration, especially this forum, is going to provide a very practical foundation to support our member states toward this security and sovereignty agenda," Tajudeen said.
He said priorities for future cooperation should include investment in disease surveillance, strengthening the scientific and technical capabilities of local institutions, and supporting domestic production.
"China and Africa have a partnership that is defined by mutual respect, shared learning, technology transfer, member states' ownership and respect for sovereignty," he said. "Let's sustain that, because this is the only way that we can build a future in which our member states are able to detect threats early, respond faster and produce health security commodities."
Also on Friday, China CDC launched a cooperation program with Africa CDC.
Zhang Guoxin, Party chief of China CDC, said the three-year public health technical cooperation project aims to support the full-scale operation of a China-aided laboratory under the Africa CDC and enhance its capabilities in multi-pathogen testing, gene sequencing, bioinformatics analysis and disease surveillance and early warning mechanism. Both sides will also explore the application of artificial intelligence and big data, he said.
"Through training programs for participants coming to China for study and exchange visits between experts, we will also help Africa cultivate more public health professionals," Zhang said.
Mary Muthoni Muriuki, principal secretary of the Kenyan Ministry of Health, said Kenya and China have developed a strong, long-standing and mutually beneficial health partnership, with tangible results in upgrading medical facilities and facilitating personnel exchanges.
"Building on this solid foundation, China-Africa cooperation can add the greatest value in the area of local pharmaceutical manufacturing, scaling up Kenya's growing capacity to produce essential medicines, vaccines and health products for Kenya and the region," she said.
Muriuki added that cooperation could also focus on accelerating Kenya's digital health development to extend quality healthcare to rural and underserved communities, as well as deepening exchanges in professional training and research.
Essola Ndong, deputy secretary-general of Gabon's Ministry of Health, said cooperation with China is expanding beyond the dispatch of medical teams to include efforts to strengthen local capabilities and facilitate technology transfer.
"We hope that the transfer of China's technology and knowledge can help boost the Gabonese pharmaceutical industry, bringing affordable and quality products to our people," she said.
Gabon has also established high-level biosafety laboratories and is looking to expand cooperation in scientific research, including the development of drugs and vaccines for malaria, tuberculosis and Ebola, she added.
wangxiaoyu@chinadaily.com.cn
