A new Central Data Repository (CDR) launched by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) aims to enhance the integration, analysis, and utilisation of public health data across the continent, particularly in response to increasing and complex health risks. 

Despite improvements in outbreak detection and reporting, public health data in Africa remains fragmented and scattered across multiple systems that often do not interoperate. This fragmentation hinders countries and regional institutions from quickly synthesising information, identifying emerging risks, and translating data into timely and coordinated public health actions. 

The CDR addresses these challenges by providing a secure and interoperable platform that integrates surveillance, laboratory, and program data from national and regional systems. This platform enhances Africa CDC’s capacity to track health threats, support advanced analysis and forecasting, and coordinate cross-border responses using the One Health approach. 

Africa faces the highest burden of public health emergencies globally. Between 2022 and 2024, reported incidents surged by 40%, reaching 213 across the continent. This increase is driven by recurring infectious disease outbreaks, climate shocks such as floods and droughts, population displacement, and ongoing humanitarian crises that strain fragile health systems. 

The development of the CDR began over a year ago with a feasibility study and the creation of a functional prototype. The project culminated in a validation workshop held on November 17-18, 2025, at Africa CDC headquarters, where stakeholders endorsed the system’s design, cost analysis, operational plan, and prototype, confirming its technical and strategic readiness. 

“The centralised repository provides Africa CDC with a single, trusted foundation for public health intelligence,” said Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director General of Africa CDC. “It enables us to identify risks earlier, respond more rapidly, and coordinate actions across borders using consistent, high-quality data.” 

Africa CDC collaborated with the Global Fund, which provided direct funding for the project, and engaged the Public Health Informatics Institute (PHII) of the Task Force for Global Health to conduct the needs assessment, cost analysis, operational planning, and prototype development. 

Dr. Merawi Aragaw, Director of Africa CDC’s Division for Surveillance and Disease Intelligence, stated that the CDR represents a significant advancement in strengthening Africa’s public health intelligence. 

“Effective health security depends on who controls and utilises data for timely decision-making,” he explained. “The CDR enhances Africa CDC’s ability to generate continental insights and respond to public health emergencies while allowing Member States to retain data ownership through a federated model and make accurate, evidence-based decisions.” 

(Source: Africa CDSC)