Who We Are
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) Youth Program is dedicated to fostering youth engagement and participation within the Africa CDC and the broader public health sector across Africa. Our program strengthens the role of youth in realizing Africa CDC’s vision of a safer, healthier, and more prosperous Africa.
We work to integrate youth into Africa CDC’s mission to strengthen Africa’s public health institutions and systems’ capacities, capabilities, and partnerships to timely prevent, detect, and respond effectively to public health threats and outbreaks based on evidence-based policies, programs, and interventions.
Learn more about our journey with youth below:
Our Timeline
From the launch of the African Union (AU) COVID-19 Vaccination Bingwa Initiative in April 2022, jointly led by the Africa CDC and the AU’s Women, Gender, Development, and Youth Directorate, to the present Youth Engagement Strategy of 2024, designed to foster a supportive policy framework for youth leadership in defining Africa’s New Public Health Order, this timeline shows the journey leading to this point.
AU BINGWA Initiative Activation/Vaccination Drive in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia at the AMREF Youth Event
In recognition and support of youths’ role in the digital health transformation of Africa, the Africa CDC engaged with youth in digital health at a co-creation workshop and the 2023 Africa Health Tech Summit in Kigali, Rwanda. Bingwas and youth champions participate in these sessions.
The second edition of YPC was held in Lusaka, Zambia, under the theme ‘Youth Leadership for a Safer and Healthier Africa.’ Bringing together over 250 young African public health professionals from 48 countries, the two-day conference celebrated Young leaders who are solving public health challenges in their communities and served as a co-creation platform for Africa CDC strategies and initiatives.
To further strengthen Africa CDC’s engagement with youth, the Africa CDC has developed a Youth Engagement Strategy (YES), which aims to create an enabling policy environment for youth leadership in shaping Africa’s New Public Health Order (NPHO).
The YES was developed through a multi-phase, evidence-based and consultative process. The first phase included a desk review of similar strategies and a consultation with 250 youth delegates the 2023 Youth Pre-Conference. The second phase included a consultation workshop on the first draft of the strategy with participation of the YAT4H, young public health experts, representatives from various divisions of the Africa CDC, and international partners.
This strategy represents a paradigm shift towards an inclusive and collaborative public health governance, ultimately contributing to the realisation of the NPHO and safeguarding the health of Africa’s population.
Bingwa Plus Kickoff Workshop with Africa CDC, YouthHubAfrica, and GIZ Office to the AU hosted in Abuja, Nigeria.
AU COVID-19 Vaccination Bingwa Initiative Activation/Vaccination Drives in Lagos, Nigeria
