Africa welcomes timely completion of China-aided landmark project on disease control

ADDIS ABABA, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- The timely completion of the China-aided Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) headquarters project has ignited optimism across Africa as the continent is equipped with a stronger public health agency able to advance health initiatives and deal with public health calamities.

Senior officials from the African Union (AU) Commission and the Africa CDC, representatives of African countries, Chinese officials as well as diplomats from the Chinese mission to the AU and high-level dignitaries witnessed the historic moment Wednesday marking the completion of the Africa CDC headquarters project on the southern suburb of Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital.

Many believe the timely completion of the state-of-the-art headquarters would enable the Africa CDC to better play its role of coordination, mobilization and emergency management in public health across the continent.

NEW CHAPTER OF EVER-GROWING CHINA-AFRICA RELATIONS

While addressing the completion ceremony, Chairperson of the AU Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat said the Africa CDC headquarters "is only the visible face of a health cooperation that has its roots in the depths of Sino-African relations."

The AU Commission chief described the state-of-the-art facility as the result of China-Africa cooperation, symbolizing the common desire of Africa and China to develop a partnership that can be seen in concrete works at the service of the wellbeing of their populations.

He said the Chinese-aided "futuristic" facility will help the AU's specialized healthcare agency to maintain the course of excellence by continuing to show the professionalism and commitment that have characterized the agency thus far.

According to the AU, the new Africa CDC headquarters is expected to become one of the best-equipped centers for disease control in Africa, allowing Africa CDC to play its role as the technical institution coordinating disease prevention, surveillance and control in the continent in partnership with the national public health institutes and ministries of health of AU member states.

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, who visited Ethiopia from Tuesday to Wednesday, said the Africa CDC headquarters project, which is a flagship project for cooperation with Africa announced at the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), is another landmark project for China-Africa cooperation after the AU Conference Center.

He said the timely delivery of the Africa CDC headquarters in the hands of African friends reflects the high standard and high level of China-Africa cooperation, which demonstrates the Chinese style of keeping promises, efficiency and pragmatism.

Qin expressed his confidence that with the joint efforts of China and Africa, the Africa CDC will make greater contributions to the health cause and well-being of the African people and write a new chapter in the history of China-Africa relations.

The sentiment has been also echoed by ordinary Africans, as they underscored the Chinese-aided new Africa CDC headquarters' important role in boosting African capabilities in dealing with public health threats.

"We often suffer from disease outbreaks and, once functional, this (the Africa CDC headquarters and its facilities) would enable us to find solutions to our healthcare challenges by our own selves," said Belete Gubsa, a retired teacher in Ethiopia.

Wakjirra Totofa, a public servant, said the facility will help Africa to quickly respond to current and potential future public health calamities.

"With the help of this facility, we can undertake research at the early stages of any disease outbreak just like the rest of the world and, eventually, solve the biggest challenges facing the people of Ethiopia and the entire Africa," Totofa said.

BLOSSOMING TIES IN PUBLIC HEALTH

In the words of the AU Commission chairperson, the China-Africa cooperation in the health sector is "old and exemplary."

According to Faki, the exemplary China-Africa cooperation in the health sector has been witnessed in their joint fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, in which the Chinese government and people were at the forefront of supporting Africa's anti-pandemic efforts.

The AU Commission chairperson's comments were also echoed by experts and analysts as they underscored the multifaceted significance of the ever-growing China-Africa ties in public health.

Costantinos Bt. Costantinos, a professor of public policy at Addis Ababa University, said the outcomes of China's "far-reaching assistance to Africa" in the health sector include medical equipment and material support, developing the human resource capacity, developing the intellectual capacity in health as well as countless donations of batches of vaccines and medical products.

The expert insisted that the newly completed Africa CDC headquarters project, as the latest manifestation of the Sino-Africa ties in public health, clearly showcases the depth of the ever-growing China-Africa relations in the area.

"It is China that came up with the available material, technical, and financial support to be able to build the African Center for Disease Control. Africa must be really grateful to the Chinese government for this immense contribution to setting up the institutions of health in Africa because that is exactly what we have been missing," Costantinos said.