Africa CDC opens first emergency warehouse to boost continental health security

ETHIOPIA—The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has inaugurated its first dedicated warehouse facility, representing a transformative step forward in the continent’s ability to manage public health emergencies.

The new infrastructure enables the organization to procure, store, and rapidly deploy critical medical supplies when outbreaks threaten African communities.

Located at the Africa CDC headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the 1,000 square metre warehouse features advanced cold storage systems designed to maintain the integrity of temperature-sensitive medical products and essential supplies.

This capability addresses a critical gap in Africa’s emergency response infrastructure, where the speed of medical supply delivery often determines whether an outbreak can be contained or spirals into a wider crisis.

Dr Raji Tajudeen, Africa CDC Deputy Director General, emphasized the facility’s strategic importance for the agency’s operational capabilities.

 “We now have what it takes to respond in the most efficient and timely manner to disease outbreaks,” he explained.

The deputy director general highlighted that immediate access to medical products frequently makes the difference between successful containment and dangerous escalation of health emergencies across the continent.

Strategic partnership drives success

The Mastercard Foundation financed the warehouse through Mpox emergency response funding, demonstrating the value of international cooperation in strengthening African health systems.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) provided comprehensive technical support throughout the project, contributing expertise in design, engineering supervision, logistics planning, cold storage technology, and safety compliance standards.

Lydie Kouame, Acting Director of WFP’s African Union Global Office, characterized the collaboration as exemplifying the impact of effective partnerships.

“This is a powerful example of what strong partnerships can deliver,” she stated.

Kouame added that the warehouse equips Africa CDC with the ability to rapidly dispatch critical supplies, which represents precisely the kind of operational capacity that reduces response times and ultimately preserves lives during health crises.

Proven track record of collaboration

Dr Tajudeen acknowledged WFP’s consistent support during previous public health emergencies, establishing a foundation of trust between the organizations.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic and more recently the mpox outbreak response, WFP provided essential in-country logistics and supported the movement of personnel and supplies when it mattered most,” he noted.

This history of collaboration ensured the warehouse project benefited from practical experience gained during real-world emergency operations.

Expanding continental infrastructure network

The Addis Ababa facility forms a cornerstone of Africa CDC’s comprehensive Supply Chain Framework, which prioritizes building warehousing capacity and strategically positioning emergency supplies across the continent.

The organization is simultaneously developing additional infrastructure, including a regional warehouse in Douala, Cameroon, which will operate within the African Union Continental Logistics Base with financing from the African Development Bank.

Both the Addis Ababa and Douala warehouses will feature high-quality, temperature-controlled environments, functioning as vital hubs that accelerate emergency health supply delivery throughout Africa.

Tesfaye Hailemichael, Head of the Africa CDC Supply Chain Division, underscored the relationship between effective emergency response and thorough preparation.

 “Emergency response is highly dependent on preparedness,” he affirmed.

“These investments ensure supplies are ready, coordinated and rapidly deployable when they are most needed.”