Online Reporter
Rumbidzayi Zinyuke
Senior Health Reporter
Southern African countries have been urged to deliberately build, strengthen and collectively safeguard their own health security systems in the face of rising outbreaks, climate‑related disasters and cross‑border health threats.
Health and Child Care Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora made the call while officially opening the Southern Africa African Volunteer Health Corps (AVoHC) induction and capacity‑building workshop in Harare on Monday.
The five‑day training workshop, convened under the auspices of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), has brought together about 75 public health professionals from across the region to strengthen rapid response capacity for disease outbreaks, humanitarian crises and other public health emergencies.
“The health security of our region and our continent is not something to be outsourced or assumed; it is a responsibility we must deliberately own, intentionally build and collectively protect.
“Across the African continent, we continue to witness increasing frequency and complexity of public health emergencies, disease outbreaks, natural disasters, humanitarian crises and emerging infectious threats. Southern Africa is not spared.
“These realities demand not fragmented or delayed responses, but coordinated, rapid and technically sound action,” said Dr Mombeshora.
He said Southern Africa continued to face recurrent cholera outbreaks, climate‑related disasters, cross‑border disease transmission and shocks that strain already burdened health systems.
The African Volunteer Health Corps was established in 2014 by the African Union to strengthen surge capacity across member states by rapidly mobilising trained health professionals during emergencies.
Participants at the workshop are expected to deepen their understanding of emergency coordination structures, incident management systems, logistics and supply chain procedures, risk‑communication protocols, as well as safety and ethical considerations during deployment.
“We are building end‑to‑end capacity, from early detection to decisive response, led by Africans and sustained by African institutions. In doing so, we affirm that the protection of our people’s health is not only a technical priority, but a core pillar of our development, our stability and our dignity.
“Equally important is the spirit of regional solidarity that underpins this gathering. The pathogens we confront do not respect borders.
“An outbreak in one country can quickly become a regional concern. When one country is prepared, the region is safer; when the region is coordinated, every nation is stronger,” the Minister said.
Africa CDC head of emergency preparedness and response, Dr Wessam Mankoula, said joining AVoHC marked the beginning of a continental duty beyond national borders.
“We have a wide range of expertise in this continental roster, which includes epidemiologists, surveillance specialists, mental health and psychosocial support experts, risk‑communication and community‑engagement professionals, and laboratory scientists. Our target is to have 1 500 experts, and these are the experts we are training and preparing for quick deployment to support emergency responses at the continental level for any emergencies,” he said.
He emphasised preparedness and unity, warning that outbreaks do not wait for ideal conditions.
Dr Mankoula said Africa records more than 200 public health events annually, highlighting the importance of being prepared to support member states when capacity is overwhelmed.
African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET) Southern Africa regional technical coordinator, Dr Notion Gombe, said Africa carries about 24 percent of the global disease burden but accounts for only three percent of the global health workforce, underscoring the need to invest in workforce development.
“We must strengthen our surge capacity and invest in a prepared, multidisciplinary workforce. These capacities are built deliberately through training, simulation and institutional commitment,” he said.
Participants said the programme was critical in ensuring Africa is not caught off guard by future emergency health threats.
Tanzanian laboratory scientist and epidemiologist Ms Doris Njelekela said the training would strengthen preparedness across the continent.
“It is a great privilege for me to be part of this training, as it allows me to gain more knowledge and strengthen my capacity to respond more effectively, not only at my hospital in Tanzania, but across Africa.
“As a team, we will be prepared and ready for any epidemic or pandemic. Having learnt lessons from COVID‑19, this is the time to strengthen our preparedness so that we can respond rapidly to outbreaks, contain them and prevent further spread,” she said.
