Aerial view of the Africa CDC Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (COURTESY)

In the heart of Addis Ababa, where tradition meets modern ambition, a gleaming structure of steel and glass is quietly reshaping Africa’s future. The new Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) Headquarters is more than just a building - it’s a bold statement of partnership, progress, and a shared commitment to advancing public health across the continent. 

For Tamene Taye Deriba, an infectious disease specialist working at the Bishoftu General Hospital in Ethiopia, the centre has already had a transformative effect on his work. He recalls the helplessness during the 2021 cholera outbreak, when he had to treat his friend’s family remotely with delayed test results and limited tools. “We felt like we were shouting into the void,” he says. 

Today, standing in the Africa CDC’s state-of-the-art Emergency Operations Centre, he watches a giant screen with real-time alerts - emerging outbreaks in Mozambique, new cases flagged in Cameroon, public health concerns in Sudan, and so on. The data flows in from an app used by doctors like him, seamlessly linking rural clinics to a continent-wide command system with just a swipe. “Now, I know I’m not alone. We’re part of something bigger - a vast network that brings our shared vision to life,” he said with quiet pride. 

Group photo of the Mission of China to the AU and CCECC staff during the inauguration ceremony of Phase I of the Africa CDC Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 11 January 2023 (COURTESY) 

Keeping promises 

The Africa CDC Headquarters is a flagship health project of the Belt and Road Initiative and a key outcome of the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, aimed at improving health care in Global South.  

Covering 23,570 square metres, the facility houses high-containment laboratories, an Emergency Operations Centre, and an integrated digital surveillance system. Moussa Faki Mahamat, former chairperson of the AU Commission, lauded it as “a milestone in China-Africa relations,” while the former deputy chairperson Monique Nsanzabaganwa called it a vivid example of China’s commitment to keeping its promises. By strengthening disease surveillance, fostering research, and enhancing regional coordination, the centre directly supports the AU’s Agenda 2063 goals of “human-centred development” and “continental integration.” 

Completed in January 2023 after just two years of construction, Phase I of the project was anything but smooth sailing. “The challenges were unlike anything I’d ever seen,” says Gao Jiajia, project manager of China Civil Engineering Construction Corp. (CCECC), who had spent more than a decade on overseas projects before this one. Gao landed in Addis Ababa on 24 December 2020. The very next day, work began - just as supply chains began to collapse. 

Local material shortages and logistical bottlenecks delayed progress by up to 54 days. Teams responded with a gruelling three-shift schedule, working around the clock to catch up. “Most of us lost 10 to 15 kg,” Gao says. “It wasn’t just hard - it was a test of will.” 

Then came a far greater threat. The armed conflict that broke out in November 2020 in north Ethiopia stayed distant initially, but the fighting crept to within 400 km of the Africa CDC site. Emergency evacuation plans were drawn up. Buses were parked and ready day and night. Workers kept travel bags packed in case the conflict crossed a pre-designated “red line.” When supply lines broke down for over 20 days, food prices tripled. Generators that powered the site’s 16-hour shifts nearly shut down - until the team tapped into 40,000 litres of reserve fuel. 

Against the odds, the project marked a major milestone when the main structure was topped out eight days ahead of schedule, on 26 November 2021. During the topping-out ceremony, Amira Elfadil, AU commissioner for social affairs, commended China’s “selfless assistance” and praised the project’s speed and quality. 

The technical challenges were no less daunting. The construction of P3 laboratories required airtight sealing, vibration-free foundations, and millimetre precision - requirements more often found in space engineering than standard construction. Through close collaboration between Chinese engineers and African specialists, the team achieved the goal. 

And it wasn’t just about blueprints and bricks. At the project’s peak, over 1,000 local workers were employed. Many received training in construction and engineering skills that will outlast the project itself. CCECC’s community outreach included school donations, like those made to Kotebe Primary School. “This isn’t just a building,” said an Addis Ababa resident. “It’s a bridge between our children’s dreams and a healthier future.” 

The giant screen in Africa CDC provides real-time alerts (COURTESY)

A network of healing 

Africa continues to bear a disproportionate burden of preventable diseases. In February 2022, the African Development Bank reported that persistent health challenges were causing significant hardship across the region. Despite progress in recent years, child and maternal mortality rates remain high in many countries. Although the continent is home to just 15 percent of the world’s population, it accounts for an estimated 50 percent of deaths from communicable diseases worldwide. According to the World Health Organisation, 94 percent of the global malaria cases occur in Africa, while recurring outbreaks of Ebola and cholera underscore the urgent need for stronger, coordinated response systems. 

That is precisely what the Africa CDC now offers. The headquarters is equipped with modern laboratories, training facilities, conference halls, and data centres. Its Emergency Operations Centre has reduced response times from weeks to hours. Beyond emergency response, the Africa CDC also plays a crucial role in strengthening surveillance systems and advancing scientific research to develop effective treatments for both ongoing and emerging health threats. 

Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa CDC, believes that the new headquarters will significantly strengthen the institution’s public health capacities and elevate it to a global reference in disease prevention and control. 

This project also represents a new chapter in South-South cooperation. Since 1963, China has sent over 25,000 medical professionals to 48 African countries, providing care to more than 230 million patients and training over 80,000 local health care workers. The Africa CDC is the latest - and most ambitious - manifestation of that legacy. 

In the glow of computer screens and under the hum of lab equipment, Tamene sees more than data - he sees hope: hope that African doctors no longer have to wait for labs in Europe to confirm diagnoses, hope that cross-border outbreaks can be stopped before they spiral, hope that Africa is no longer just the recipient of global health interventions - but a leader in its own right.