South Africa has pledged $5 million to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) in support of the continent’s ongoing response to the Ebola outbreak.
The contribution was announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa during an urgent High-Level Briefing on the Ebola outbreak situation in Africa held on Monday.
According to the World Health Organization, more than 200 people have died amid continued transmission in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, while several neighbouring countries remain at heightened risk.
Ramaphosa said the response plan would support outbreak control measures in affected countries while strengthening preparedness in at least 10 high-risk member states.
“Importantly, African countries themselves have already committed initial domestic contributions representing approximately 10 per cent of the required financing. This demonstrates ownership and responsibility, and shows that Africa is no longer waiting passively for others to act,” he said.
The President urged member states, African financial institutions, philanthropic organisations and the private sector to join the response effort urgently.
The meeting was attended by Jean Kaseya and Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, among other senior officials.
Ramaphosa also appealed to the international community to support the African continent.
“The world is safer when Africa is safer. Delayed support today will result in far greater human, social and economic costs tomorrow. This outbreak reminds us that preparedness cannot begin once a crisis is already escalating,” he said.
The meeting further urged countries to continue investing in resilient healthcare systems, strong national public health institutions, emergency operations centres and local manufacturing of medical countermeasures.
Ramaphosa expressed concern that the outbreak is affecting countries facing a serious risk of wider regional spread, particularly in areas characterised by high population movement, insecurity, porous borders, humanitarian pressures and active trade corridors.
He also paid tribute to frontline healthcare workers, noting that they continue to bear the burden of successive epidemics and disease outbreaks.
“It is vital that we protect their lives and livelihoods by ensuring adequate supplies of high-quality personal protective equipment, deploying sufficient healthcare workers to allow for rest and recuperation, and equipping them with the necessary tools to deliver quality healthcare services,” Ramaphosa added.
