China to Launch Construction of Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention Soon

ENA, January 30/2020 China will soon launch the construction of Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which is scheduled to be completed within two years, China’s Ambassador to Ethiopia revealed.

In an exclusive interview with ENA, Ambassador Tan Jian said China plans to build Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with the aim of improving the continent’s health sector, particularly disease control and prevention.

“I think health is very important; because health, education are the things that relate to the life of each and every citizen. And in Africa, we see epidemics like malaria, Ebola and cholera. (Thus) Africa may need to enhance its capacity to fight these epidemics,” he elaborated.

Ambassador Jian noted that China, by building Africa CDC, wants to demonstrate its solidarity with Africans.

He stated that the center to be built in the premises of the AU Headquarters will support all African countries in improving surveillance, emergency response, and prevention of infectious diseases.

“This is a continent where more work needs to be done in the health sector, especially in disease prevention and control. President Xi Jinping announced the decision that china will help built the flagship project in Addis Ababa where the AU is headquarters,” the ambassador pointed out.  

According to him, limited capacity to control and prevent diseases has not only impacted the continent’s health sector but also its economic development. “I believe the African health could be greatly improved with the new Africa CDC.”

The ambassador further stated: “We will help build offices, laboratories; and I believe that with the completion of this project the capacity to fight the epidemics, especially the diseases that are unique to Africa, will be greatly enhanced.”

He added that the project is not just about building facilities but also the training of African doctors, scientists and researchers.

Ambassador Tan Jian stressed that what China is doing in Africa is more than hard infrastructure, roads, railway etc. “We invest more in hard infrastructure but also we invest in soft infrastructure.”

China’s medical doctors that have been dispatched to Ethiopia since 1974, and professional training offered through scholarships and fellowships demonstrates this, he said.

The envisioned Africa CDC is a specialized technical institution of the African Union that serves as a platform for member states to share knowledge, exchange lessons, build capacity, and provide technical assistance for one another.