In a landmark effort to strengthen Africa's preparedness for emerging health threats, the World Health Organization (WHO), Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), and Germany’s Robert Koch Institute (RKI) have announced the expansion of the Health Security Partnership to Strengthen Disease Surveillance in Africa (HSPA). Backed by the governments of Canada and the United Kingdom, the initiative enters its second phase with an enlarged scope and deeper country engagement.
Launched in 2023, the HSPA was initially piloted in six countries: The Gambia, Mali, Morocco, Namibia, South Africa, and Tunisia. With the addition of Rwanda in the 2025–2028 cycle, the program now aims to build a continent-wide framework that enhances bio-risk management, genomic surveillance, and epidemic intelligence.
Africa remains the most vulnerable continent to disease outbreaks, recording over 100 major public health events annually. While progress has been made in establishing public health systems, the rising complexity of biological threats, whether from natural outbreaks, laboratory accidents, or deliberate misuse, has underscored the need for integrated, collaborative responses.
“The HSPA initiative isn’t just about detecting outbreaks—it’s about embedding a culture of proactive preparedness and shared intelligence across sectors,” said Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, Acting WHO Regional Director for Africa and Deputy Executive Director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme. “This is a strategic partnership that centres country ownership and fosters regional alignment with Africa’s broader health security goals.”
At its core, HSPA promotes collaborative surveillance, an innovative model that brings together health, security, and scientific sectors to monitor and respond to threats. Participating countries will receive customised technical support, operational roadmaps, and expert guidance in areas such as event-based surveillance, laboratory readiness, and biorisk management.
Africa CDC, the program’s continental coordinator, emphasised the long-term value of the initiative in reinforcing national health systems. “In an environment of limited resources, partnerships like HSPA are vital,” noted Dr. Raji Tajudeen, Acting Deputy Director General of the Africa CDC. “This platform strengthens our ability to detect, assess, and respond to high-consequence biological events by anchoring surveillance systems into existing public health infrastructure.”
The initiative complements broader global efforts, including the Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction and the Signature Initiative to Mitigate Biological Threats in Africa (SIMBA). It is funded in part by Canada’s Weapons Threat Reduction Program and the UK Government.
Looking ahead, HSPA Phase II will roll out joint training exercises, digital surveillance tools, and simulation-based preparedness programs to ensure resilience is built from the ground up. The long-term aim is to create a sustainable surveillance ecosystem led by African institutions, capable of addressing present and future public health emergencies.
This multilateral partnership reaffirms the continent’s commitment to self-reliant and globally integrated health security, one rooted in science, solidarity, and shared responsibility.
Article by Nyokabi Wanjiku
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