The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), in partnership with the Novo Nordisk Foundation, has launched a two-year initiative to strengthen public health workforce capacity for Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) surveillance across ten African Union Member States. The Novo Nordisk Foundation has provided a USD 2.65 million grant for the project, with the Africa Public Health Foundation (APHF) acting as fund manager. The program aims to develop a scalable training model that can expand across the continent in the coming years, addressing the urgent need for robust surveillance systems to inform evidence-based public health policies and interventions.
Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director-General of Africa CDC, emphasized that rising NCD rates on the continent demand stronger surveillance systems. The partnership seeks to equip health workers with the tools, skills, and systems needed to generate reliable data, which is essential for smarter investments, policy-making, and building resilient health systems. The initiative is positioned as a cornerstone of Africa CDC’s strategy to advance health sovereignty and a new public health order in Africa.
The project will integrate an NCD surveillance component into the existing Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP) frontline course, embedding NCD indicators into current health information systems. This approach is designed to enhance evidence-based decision-making, foster cross-country peer learning, and strengthen health systems by prioritizing prevention, resilience, and integrated care for NCDs, injuries, and mental health conditions.
Despite the historical focus on communicable diseases, the burden of NCDs and mental health conditions is rising sharply across Africa. Between 1990 and 2017, NCDs in sub-Saharan Africa grew by 67%, increasing their share of Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) from 18% to 30%. Projections suggest that by 2030, NCDs, injuries, and mental health conditions will cause more premature deaths than all other conditions combined, highlighting the need for reliable surveillance data to guide health interventions.
Africa CDC has previously developed a continental strategy on NCDs (2022) and issued guidance in 2024 on strengthening NCD, injury, and mental health surveillance systems. However, challenges remain due to limited skilled workforce in member states. This new project will build a scalable workforce development program focusing on NCD surveillance, enabling member states to collect, analyze, and utilize data effectively while integrating NCD indicators into health information systems at all levels of care.
Dr. Francisco Songane, Interim CEO of APHF, highlighted the significance of the grant as more than funding—it represents a partnership to build a frontline network of skilled health professionals equipped with data and peer support to address the growing NCD burden. The initiative is expected to play a pivotal role in enhancing the continent’s capacity to respond to the escalating challenges posed by NCDs and associated health conditions.
