Africa CDC urges faster Ebola response as G20 meets in New York
Africa CDC will participate in the meeting, with Director General H.E. Dr Jean Kaseya representing the African Union’s 55 Member States and the continent’s 1.5 billion people.
ETHIOPIA—The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has welcomed the United States’ decision to convene a G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting on accelerating collective action to defeat Ebola.
The meeting will take place on 23 September 2026 in New York, alongside the United Nations General Assembly.
The United States has invited G20 members, additional donor countries, affected governments, and international organisations to discuss ways to mobilise support, improve coordination and strengthen efforts to end the outbreak.
Africa CDC will participate in the meeting, with Director General H.E. Dr Jean Kaseya representing the African Union’s 55 Member States and the continent’s 1.5 billion people.
The agency said its participation reflects the growing role of African institutions in shaping sustainable responses to public health threats.
The meeting also comes as African countries advance the Africa Health Security and Sovereignty agenda.
Africa CDC said its continental coordination role will complement the African Union’s engagement as a permanent G20 member.
Affected countries to highlight priorities
Africa CDC also welcomed the participation of authorities from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda.
Uganda ended its Ebola outbreak on 27 August 2026, while the DRC continues to manage transmission.
Their participation is expected to link international commitments with national response priorities, affected communities and frontline health workers.
Africa CDC said that although investments from African countries and international partners have improved some affected areas, transmission remains active and progress is uneven.
The agency called for continued efforts in areas where transmission persists or has increased, including Ituri, where gains need to be consolidated.
Following guidance from DRC President H.E. Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo during a meeting on 5 August 2026, Africa CDC is advancing a village-centered approach that places communities at the heart of the response.
The approach focuses on rebuilding trust, improving early detection and interrupting transmission.
Africa CDC calls for financial transparency
The agency has also called on partners to improve the speed, transparency and accountability of funding.
Through the Africa CDC Financial Tracking Mechanism, it wants disbursements, expenditures, implementation locations and results to be clearly documented.
According to Africa CDC, this information will help governments identify funding gaps, monitor how resources are used and direct additional financing towards national priorities.
It also stressed the need to link public health and humanitarian interventions while keeping communities central to implementation.
Dr. Kaseya said Africa CDC appreciates the United States for convening the meeting and thanked partners supporting the response.
“Our shared responsibility now is to ensure that solidarity and any new financing pledged translates rapidly into disbursed resources and services at the frontline,” he said.
“We must be able to trace every dollar, from the donor through implementing partners to expenditure and results in affected communities.”
He added that governments need clear information on the resources supporting their response, saying transparency is owed to affected families, governments, and financing partners.
“Transparency builds trust, accelerates delivery and saves lives,” Dr Kaseya said.
Africa CDC said it will continue working with affected governments, the World Health Organization, humanitarian organisations and other partners to stop transmission, protect neighboring countries, and end the outbreak.
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