The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has grown into an influential player on the global health scene. If Dr. Jean Kaseya, the director-general of Africa CDC, has his way, his agency will become the dominant health player representing a continent of 1.4 billion people where health is both an opportunity and a challenge.
“We are the convening power in Africa,” he said. “No one can come today again to work in Africa without Africa CDC. It doesn’t make sense.”
But Kaseya’s agency — including the director-general himself — has had a rocky road navigating various constraints and controversies since its establishment in 2017 — which he addressed in a sweeping Devex Pro briefing on Aug. 1.