Ethiopian Minister of Health Dr. Lia Tadesse, Deputy Mayor of Addis Ababa Adanech Abiebie, Ambassador of China to African Union, and AU Commissioner of Social Affairs have attended the ground breaking and unveiling ceremony for the headquarters of the Africa Center for Diseases Control and Prevention (ACDC) in Addis Ababa.
Dr. Lia Tadesse stated that the presence of the African CDC in Addis Ababa, the seat of the African Union, will help to build a strong health system in Africa.
The Ministry will work cooperatively AU and Africa CDC to provide COVID-19 vaccine for African countries, Dr. Lia added.
Chinese Ambassador to African Union Liu Yuxi on his part noted that the construction of headquarter in Ethiopia will become a landmark for Addis Ababa.
The ambassador announced that Africa CDC would be a China aided huge project, contributing to the Africa public health prevention and control system and capacity building.
AU Commissioner for Social Affairs Amira Elfadil Mohammed also noted that the headquarter will serve as a research center and hub for the prevention of COVID-19, Ebola, and other epidemic diseases.
Once the construction of the headquarters is completed in 25 months it will help Africa move a step closer to the AU’s Agenda 2063 to build a healthier, strong, and more prosperous Africa.
The construction of headquarters covers an area of 90,000 square meters of land and the cost of the construction is fully covered by the government of China.
(By: Tizita Mengistu)