The African Union has finally approved the operational framework for the new Africa Epidemics Fund — three years after African heads of state agreed to its creation. The fund will be used to support African countries to prepare and respond to outbreaks.
“This is the vehicle where we can receive funding without any limitation, without any bureaucracy,” Dr. Jean Kaseya, director-general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, said during a press briefing Thursday. “This is amazing.”
Kaseya called this new fund a “game changer” and “a critical step toward health sovereignty” for a continent that’s been working diligently to create stronger internal systems to reduce dependencies on international donors.
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About the author
Sara Jervingsarajerving
Sara Jerving is a Senior Reporter at Devex, where she covers global health. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, VICE News, and Bloomberg News among others. Sara holds a master's degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism where she was a Lorana Sullivan fellow. She was a finalist for One World Media's Digital Media Award in 2021; a finalist for the Livingston Award for Young Journalists in 2018; and she was part of a VICE News Tonight on HBO team that received an Emmy nomination in 2018. She received the Philip Greer Memorial Award from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 2014.
