Africa CDC headquarters wins acclaim as major outcome of BRI cooperation

ADDIS ABABA, March 21 (Xinhua) -- A delegation of Chinese scholars and officials on Thursday commended the Chinese-built Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) headquarters in Ethiopia as a vivid manifestation of China-Africa cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

This came as a Chinese delegation, composed of scholars from Beijing Normal University, Chinese government officials, and other stakeholders, visited the Africa CDC headquarters in the southern suburb of Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital.

The Chinese-built Africa CDC headquarters, which is regarded as a flagship project in China-Africa public health cooperation, was officially inaugurated in Addis Ababa in January 2023. In November 2023, the Africa CDC also unveiled a China-aided reference laboratory at its headquarters.

As the Africa CDC recently marked its seventh anniversary, Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya also hailed China's support in enabling the agency to fulfill its role through capacity building and technical support.

Speaking to Xinhua recently, Kaseya said the headquarters project will play a crucial role in improving public health in Africa.

"This building (the new Africa CDC headquarters) and the laboratory are making Africa and Africa CDC operate at another level. Thanks to the cooperation we have with China, we are moving to another step," Kaseya said.