Global Fund and Africa CDC join forces for stronger, self-sufficient health systems – updates

Global Fund and Africa CDC join forces for stronger, self-sufficient health systems

May 19, 2026

– The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the “Global Fund”) is stepping up cooperation with regional partners to influence and support countries on their path to self-reliance.

This approach was highlighted today with the signing of a brand new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), on the occasion of the World Health Assembly.

As global healthcare financing evolves and resources change into more limited, the Global Fund is adapting its technique to ensure investments are directed where the necessity is best. This includes prioritizing the poorest countries with the best burdens, strengthening sustainable development and supporting a predictable, nationally-led transition away from external financing. The partnership with Africa CDC reflects this shift towards deeper regional leadership and more unified health systems.

“This partnership is an important step towards Africa’s health sovereignty,” said Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director General of Africa CDC. “Together we are helping to build a safer, stronger and more self-reliant Africa.”

“This collaboration reflects how we develop our partnerships – supporting leadership at national and regional levels while strengthening the systems, workforce and supply chains needed to save lives and sustain progress,” said Peter Sands, executive director of the Global Fund.

Under the Memorandum of Understanding, the 2 institutions will cooperate to:

• Expanding integrated service delivery, community medical examiner capability, laboratory systems, surveillance and digital health tools.
• Strengthen regional procurement, manufacturing and provide chain capabilities, including support for the African Blended Procurement Mechanism, to reinforce collaborative procurement approaches that improve access, supply resilience and sustainable health markets across Africa.
• Supporting national financing, public finance management systems and sustainable transformation pathways.
• Support African leadership in shaping global health security and equitable access to health technologies.

This collaboration builds on long-standing commitments to national leadership and integrated health systems, while strengthening how these principles translate into coordinated motion. As the Global Fund prepares for the following grant cycle, this common approach will guide using resources: prioritizing settings with the very best burden, supporting predictable change and ensuring that investments strengthen national systems and leadership for long-term impact.

Together, the Global Fund and Africa CDC aim to speed up progress towards ending AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria by 2030, while contributing to stronger, sustainable and more self-sufficient health systems across the continent.