Africa plans to drive health security with iAfrica CDC Promises Smooth Leadership Transition, Expands COVID Vaccination Campaign to Include Other Vaccinests youth population
March 4, 2023
“We need these jabs”: How a Ugandan ‘bingwa’ is helping boost demand for COVID-19 vaccines
May 10, 2023
Shakir Akorede
Healthcare inequity is a challenge across Africa – but the continent’s ambitious and growing young population could hold the solution. Africa is putting its young people at the front and centre in continent-wide efforts to advance health security in the post-Covid-19 world rallying young people to improve health security.
To accelerate vaccine uptake and delivery on the continent, the African Union and Africa CDC launched a youth vaccination campaign – the Bingwa Initiative – which seeks to get at least 100 million Africans, including 30 million youth, vaccinated. In a similar youth-centred approach, Africa’s largest gathering of health professionals, the International Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA 2022) hosted by Africa CDC, was preceded by the first youth pre-conference under the theme “Meaningful Youth Engagement for Advancing Sustainable Health Security in Africa”.
The acting director of Africa CDC, Dr Ahmed Ogwell Ouma, announced at the conference the creation of a Youth Advisory Team for Health to support the vision of Africa’s New Public Health Order. The team will “help ensure that Africa CDC’s strategies and initiatives are inclusive and adequately address young people’s health concerns”.
