The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) is optimistic it can secure $600 million to combat a growing mpox outbreak on the continent.
"If you want to know if I'm positive that we can raise the $600 million, I will safely say yes," Jean Kaseya, the agency's Director General, was quoted as saying on Thursday.
The Africa CDC plans to source the $600 million from a mix of African Union countries, development partners, philanthropies, and the private sector. The agency is also in discussions with organizations such as GAVI and The Pandemic Fund to secure additional assistance. Kaseya highlighted that transferring vaccine technology to Africa could reduce costs by up to 90%, making the vaccines more affordable for the continent.
Kaseya also emphasized the importance of international support during the crisis, particularly from Western nations.
"We don't want to come back again tomorrow to say, you again abandoned Africa," Kaseya said. "It's time for them to rebuild the trust."
He noted the broken trust between Western countries and Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Africa was left behind as wealthier nations hoarded vaccines.
"As we know, the trust was broken... It's really time for solidarity. It is a global issue," he added.
Furthermore, Kaseya warned that the current rate of testing remains a "major issue," and called for increased testing capacity to better track the outbreak.
Africa CDC had initially estimated the cost of its mpox response at $245 million in August, but this figure has now climbed to $600 million, excluding vaccine costs. Kaseya is expected to announce the final amount raised at the upcoming UN General Assembly in New York later this month.