The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has partnered with the Novo Nordisk Foundation to boost public health workforce capacity for Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) surveillance in 10 African Union (AU) member states.
The initiative, launched via webinar on Wednesday during the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), will run from June 2025 to May 2027. The Foundation has awarded a $2.65 million grant, with the Africa Public Health Foundation (APHF) serving as fund manager.
The programme aims to build a scalable training model for health workers to strengthen NCD data collection, analysis, and use in evidence-based decision-making. A key feature will be the integration of an NCD surveillance pillar into Africa CDC’s Field Epidemiology Training Programme (FETP), ensuring NCD indicators are embedded in national health systems.
NCDs such as diabetes, hypertension, cancers, and mental health conditions are rising rapidly across Africa. Africa CDC reports that the NCD burden in sub-Saharan Africa increased by 67 per cent between 1990 and 2017. By 2030, NCDs, injuries, and mental health conditions are projected to cause more premature deaths than all other conditions combined.
Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director-General of Africa CDC, said the partnership would equip health workers with the skills and systems needed to generate reliable data. “Strengthening NCD surveillance is essential for evidence-based decision-making, smarter investments, and resilient health systems that protect all Africans,” he said.
Prof. Flemming Konradsen, Chief Scientific Officer for Health at the Novo Nordisk Foundation, said the project would support better prevention and care planning through systematic data collection.
Dr. Francisco Songane, Interim CEO of APHF, described NCDs as “a defining public health challenge of our generation, silently devastating families and crippling economies,” adding that the grant would help build a frontline defence of skilled professionals.
Experts say the initiative could help rebalance Africa’s health priorities, long dominated by communicable diseases, by ensuring stronger data-driven responses to the growing NCD burden.
