BY ABDUREZAK MOHAMMED
ADDIS ABABA – The 80 million USD new African Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) headquarters which is being built and funded by China will be completed at the end of the year, it was disclosed.
It was learnt that China’s newly appointed head of mission to the African Union, Hu Changchun inspected the Africa CDC construction site last month and it was said that the construction is nearing completion.
Hu said: “This flagship project between China and the AU will significantly improve the capacity for disease prevention and control in Africa.” It was disclosed that the site covers an area of 90,000 square meters, with a total construction area of nearly 40,000 square meters.
When finished, the Africa CDC building will include an emergency operation center, a data center and a laboratory, resource, training and conference centers and briefing rooms, as well as offices and expatriate all to be built, furnished and equipped by the Chinese government.
The second phase would involve the construction of the Africa CDC’s five regional collaborating centers in Egypt, Gabon, Kenya, Nigeria, and Zambia, it was also indicated. Wu Peng, Director-General of African Affairs Department atthe Chinese Foreign Ministry, said the Africa CDC headquarters was a major project of China-Africa cooperation which would further enhance Africa’s public health capacities and become a new portrayal of China-Africa solidarity.
It was to be recalled that, in April 2015, the United States and African Union signed an agreement to create the Africa CDC, where the US agreed to provide technical expertise and seconded a dozen staff members to lead and support the project. It also agreed to support fellowships at the Africa CDC for 10 African epidemiologists.
The Ethiopian Herald August 18/2022
