A new Central Data Repository (CDR) launched by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, aims to strengthen how public health data is integrated, analyzed and used across the continent at a time of growing and increasingly complex health risks.
While improvements have been made in outbreak detection and reporting, public health data in Africa remains fragmented and dispersed across multiple systems that are often not interoperable. This limits the ability of countries and regional institutions to rapidly synthesise information, identify emerging risks and translate data into timely and coordinated public health action.
The CDR addresses this challenge by providing a secure and interoperable platform that integrates surveillance, laboratory and program data from national and regional systems. The platform enhances Africa CDC’s ability to track health threats, support advanced analysis and forecasting, as well as coordinate responses across borders, including through 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–driven by recurring infectious disease outbreaks, climate shocks such as floods and droughts, population displacement and prolonged humanitarian crises that continue to strain fragile health systems.
Work on the CDR began more than a year ago with a feasibility study and the development of a functional prototype. The process culminated in a validation workshop held Nov. 17-18, 2025 at Africa CDC headquarters, where stakeholders endorsed the system’s design, cost analysis, operationalisation plan and prototype, confirming its technical and strategic readiness.
“The centralised repository gives Africa CDC a single, trusted foundation for public health intelligence,” said Dr. Jean Kaseya, the Africa CDC Director General. “It allows us to see risks earlier, act faster and coordinate responses across borders using consistent, high-quality data.”
Africa CDC partnered with the Global Fund, which directly financed 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, said the CDR marks a significant step forward in strengthening Africa’s public health intelligence.
“Effective health security depends on who controls and uses data for timely decision-making,” he said. “The CDR strengthens Africa CDC’s ability to generate continental insights and detect and respond to public health emergencies, while enabling Member States to retain data ownership through a federated model and make accurate, evidence-based decisions.”
About Africa CDC
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) is a public health agency of the African Union. It is autonomous and supports member states in strengthening health systems. It also helps improve disease surveillance, emergency response and disease control.
This post was originally published on the Africa CDC site.