We’re back, dear readers. We know 2022 didn’t end up as many would have liked — we’re still in a COVID-19 emergency, cases are surging in China, and there isn’t a lot of optimism that the world will do any better if a new deadly disease emerges soon.
But not all is gloomy in the new year. For one, 2023 is expected to be the year the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention achieves greater autonomy from the African Union, in ways that would make it more authoritative and nimble, as well as allow it to more rapidly respond to health emergencies across the continent.
African heads of states agreed to give Africa CDC wings last year — allowing it to transition into a public health agency as opposed to a specialized institution that was weighed down by bureaucracy. Acting Director Dr. Ahmed Ogwell Ouma tells our colleague Sara Jerving that since then, it has worked to make this a reality by setting up new systems for administration, human resources, finance, and procurement that are independent of the AU Commission.
About the authors
Jenny Lei Ravelo@JennyLeiRavelo
Jenny Lei Ravelo is a Devex Senior Reporter based in Manila. She covers global health, with a particular focus on the World Health Organization, and other development and humanitarian aid trends in Asia Pacific. Prior to Devex, she wrote for ABS-CBN, one of the largest broadcasting networks in the Philippines, and was a copy editor for various international scientific journals. She received her journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas.
Amruta Byatnalamrutabyatnal
Amruta Byatnal is a Senior Editor at Devex where she edits coverage on global development, humanitarian crises and international aid. She writes Devex CheckUp, a weekly newsletter on the latest developments in global health. Previously, she worked for News Deeply in the United States, and The Hindu in India. She is a graduate of Cornell University where she studied international development. She is currently based in New Delhi.
