The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) are advancing plans to formalize a strategic partnership aimed at mitigating health threats across Central Africa through an integrated “One Health” framework.
The collaborative initiative was finalized during a bilateral meeting in Libreville between Dr. Athman Mravili, FAO Representative for Gabon and São Tomé and Príncipe, and Dr. Thaddee Ndikumana, Africa CDC Special Representative for Central Africa, held at the health agency’s regional coordinating center.
Deliberations focused on mobilizing financial resources under the international Pandemic Fund and expanding joint institutional ties with regional governance bodies, including the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC), and the Organization for the Coordination of the Fight Against Endemic Diseases in Central Africa (OCEAC). Both agency leaders emphasized leveraging platform mechanisms such as the International Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA) to translate scientific research into standardized, evidence-based health policies across member states.
To establish operational structure, the FAO reaffirmed its commitment to drafting a formal memorandum of understanding with Africa CDC to standardize technical exchanges and align cross-border health priorities. By bridging human, animal, and environmental health sectors, the joint framework seeks to enhance early-warning detection systems, streamline emergency preparedness, and strengthen regional resilience against emerging zoonotic and endemic disease outbreaks.
TE/Sf/lb/abj/APA