ABUJA – Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has raised alarm over potentially severe shortages of essential medical supplies, warning that rising costs and global supply chain disruptions could trigger a public health crisis across the continent.
Speaking at the agency’s weekly high-level regional press briefing in Abuja on Thursday, Dr Jean Kaseya, Director-General of Africa CDC, said that the ongoing Middle East crisis has sharply increased the cost of key inputs and transport for critical health commodities.
Materials such as polyester used in mosquito nets have surged by up to 40 percent, while shipping expenses have soared due to war-related taxes and fuel surcharges reaching $4,000 per container.
“These rising costs, combined with delays in freight and disruptions in supply chains, threaten the timely delivery of medicines, vaccines, and other essential health products across Africa,” Kaseya said.
He emphasised that Africa’s heavy reliance on imports from China and India leaves the continent extremely vulnerable to external shocks, putting millions of lives at risk.
He warned that the situation could escalate from economic pressure into a full-blown public health crisis, with shortages of vaccines, malaria prevention tools, and essential medicines potentially affecting millions of people across Africa. “Vulnerability ranges from rising costs to lives at stake; price hikes and shortages risk evolving into a public health crisis,” he said.
Dr Kaseya highlighted the Africa CDC’s Africa Health Security and Sovereignty (AHSS) Agenda, a strategic framework aimed at strengthening health systems. The agenda focuses on five pillars: enhanced leadership, coordinated pandemic preparedness, sustainable domestic health financing, digital transformation of health systems, and local manufacturing of health products to reduce reliance on imports.
Pointing to the Democratic Republic of Congo as a model, he noted how political commitment and innovative financing mechanisms, such as import levies and mandatory health insurance can reduce donor dependence and expand domestic coverage.
“Health financing alone is only half the battle; stewardship, efficiency, and integrated systems are equally critical,” Kaseya said.
He urged African governments to implement and sustain reforms that strengthen domestic ownership of health priorities, improve operational efficiency, and reduce fragmentation in health systems.
Kaseya stressed that failure to act could leave Africa exposed to future pandemics, seasonal disease outbreaks, and disruptions in essential health services caused by geopolitical conflicts or global economic shocks.
Dr Kaseya in his brief added that achieving health sovereignty will require a combination of strong political will, innovative financing, and structural reforms, ensuring Africa’s health systems are resilient and capable of protecting populations despite international supply challenges and escalating costs.
