Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) says African ministers of health have committed to support its new Covid-19 strategy on Prevention, Monitoring, and Treatment (PMT).
The Africa CDC, during an emergency virtual summit with African Union (AU) leaders, launched the Covid-19 strategy, adapting response efforts to the fluid nature of the pandemic.
In connection with the PMT strategy, health ministers welcomed the proposal for waivers and exemptions to Intellectual Property rights tabled by the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
They also welcomed the decision of the United States to support the proposal, as part of the effort to globalise the manufacturing of vaccines and ensure equity in access and availability worldwide.
In addition to the PMT strategy, the new 4D Partnership – a platform for multi-disciplinary, multi-dimensional, multi-departmental and multi-directional collaboration in Africa – was announced.
The 4D Partnership is a collaboration of several AU organs including the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the Africa CDC.
The aim of the platform is to strengthen harmonisation of health cases, research, education, climate response and trade.
‘The 4D partnership will also speed up the emergence of electronic exchanges in the areas of climate finance, municipal green bonds, common fisheries rights, among others, enriching the quality of the post-pandemic recovery already underway in parts of Africa’, a statement from Africa CDC read.
‘Integrating a continent as vast, diverse, and rich in heritage, as Africa requires an “every tool in the toolkit” approach yet resources are limited, hence the need to transform action taking in Africa, using the tools the 4D platform shall make available to key stakeholders across the continent’, Secretary General of the AfCFTA, Wamkele Mene, said.
For the Director of the Africa CDC, Dr John Nkengasong, he said, ‘It is clearly time for a complete step-change in how we think about the recovery. 4D is how Africa’s continental leadership demonstrates its equality to the task’.
It is understood that the coalition behind the 4D partnership includes AfroChampions, the African Academy of Sciences, the African Institute of Mathematical Sciences, and the PanaBIOS Consortium.
Source: Africa CDC
Photo source: Africa CDC
