China and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) have inaugurated a three-week joint training workshop in Addis Ababa, aiming to significantly strengthen the continent’s public health capacity. Held at the Chinese-built Africa CDC headquarters, the program brings together 30 experts from 16 African countries to focus on lab detection, genome sequencing, and other critical disease-control competencies.
At the opening ceremony, Jiang Feng, head of the Chinese Mission to the African Union, described the workshop as a powerful symbol of China-Africa solidarity. He emphasised that China will not only provide technical assistance but also send public-health professionals to support Africa CDC in the long run, building “a shared China-Africa health community for all.”
Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director General of Africa CDC, echoed this sense of partnership, saying the training marks a fresh chapter in scientific collaboration. Dr. Jean expressed gratitude for the Chinese experts who are sharing technical mastery with their African colleagues.
Zhang Yong, one of the Chinese instructors, outlined the curriculum: the workshop will cover pathogen detection, drug-resistance monitoring, and standardized lab quality management. He also highlighted plans for future joint projects in outbreak early warning, big-data disease surveillance, and disease monitoring.
This training initiative builds on a long-standing and evolving China-Africa health cooperation. Back in 2024, China financed the construction of the Africa CDC headquarters in Addis Ababa, complete with high-level biosafety laboratories (BSL-III) designed to handle highly pathogenic microbes.
Earlier this year, Africa CDC officials publicly praised China’s support for bolstering regional health infrastructure – especially the emergency response and disease control capacity housed in the Addis Ababa centre.
At the same time, China has committed to sustain technical support through its “Partnership Action for Health”, launched under the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).
By investing in local laboratory expertise and fostering shared disease-surveillance systems, this workshop could help Africa respond faster to emerging health threats. At its heart, this isn’t just training – it’s part of a larger vision. A China–Africa health community where knowledge, infrastructure, and resources flow in both directions, strengthening the capabilities of African public health institutions while deepening China’s role in global health governance.
As the workshop unfolds, both sides are expected to launch more collaborations, from big-data analysis of pathogens, to early-warning systems, to outbreak response strategies. For African public health, it’s a capacity-building moment; for Sino-African diplomacy, it’s concrete proof that their partnership extends well beyond infrastructure – into science, health, and shared futures.
