Dr Jean Kaseya, Director General of Africa's Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), discusses the impact of COVID-19 on the continent. He emphasises the continent's need for improved health preparedness and self-sufficiency.

He outlines five key pillars for pandemic preparedness, including health financing, local manufacturing and digital health initiatives. We also cover the importance of regional collaboration, innovative financing strategies, and the intersection of health and conflict resolution.

Dr Kaseya highlights lessons learned from the pandemic and the need to be prepared for future outbreaks, while also addressing the challenges posed by infectious diseases in Africa.

Takeaways:

• Preparedness is essential for national and global security

• Africa must increase health financing and reduce inefficiencies

• Local manufacturing of health products is crucial for self-sufficiency

• Innovative financing methods can enhance health budgets

• Vaccine nationalism highlighted Africa's dependency on external supplies

• Regional collaboration is vital for effective health responses

• Health outcomes are linked to conflict resolution efforts

• Lessons from Covid 19 inform future health strategies

• The next pandemic is likely to be zoonotic and influenced by climate change

• Addressing infectious diseases requires a multifaceted approach

Chapters:

00.00 Assessing Africa's Covid 19 experience

03.05 Pillars of Pandemic Preparedness

06.01 Innovative Financing for Health

08.52 Local Vaccine Production and Technology Transfer

11.53 Regional Collaboration in Health

14.51 Health and Conflict Resolution

17.57 Lessons Learned from Covid 19

20.49 Preparing for Future Pandemics

24.11 Progress and Challenges in Health Systems

27.03 Addressing Infectious Disease Outbreaks