China has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening health systems across Africa through renewed partnerships, capacity-building initiatives, and support for epidemic response, aimed at enhancing resilience against future public health emergencies continent-wide.
Prof. George Fu Gao, guest lecturer and former Director of the China Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), said this during his keynote address at the Nigeria-China Health Security Dialogue on pandemic preparedness held in Abuja.
Professor Gao said the commitment followed outcomes of the 2024 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, which prioritised health collaboration under its “Partnership Action for Health” framework for sustainable development across African countries.
He further said that, “China plans to establish hospital alliances and joint medical centres across Africa, deploy 2,000 medical personnel, and implement 20 programmes focusing on health infrastructure and malaria treatment initiatives.”
“We will continue to support Africa in epidemic response and strengthen cooperation in pharmaceutical production and public health systems,” Professor Gao said, reaffirming China’s commitment to strengthening Africa’s health resilience capacity.
He said that China’s public health strategy, built over decades, significantly improved life expectancy from 35 years in 1949 to 79 years in 2024 nationwide.
The Guest lecturer attributed the progress to sustained investments in science-driven infrastructure development, workforce training, and the expansion of a nationwide public health workforce supporting prevention, surveillance, and response systems.
He noted achievements in controlling major diseases, including tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B, and measles.Which has significantly reduced disease burden across populations.
Professor Gao further said that”measles cases had declined significantly in recent years, while surveillance systems enabled early detection and rapid response to emerging infectious diseases across different regions.”
He highlighted China’s long-standing engagement in Africa, including frontline support during the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone, where Chinese teams supported laboratory establishment, personnel training, and emergency health response systems.
Professor Gao also referenced ongoing collaborations with countries such as Nigeria, including partnerships with the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research and joint efforts supporting response to Mpox outbreaks.
“Capacity building and local training remain critical to strengthening Africa’s preparedness for future pandemics,” he said, stressing the importance of sustained investments in human resources for health systems.
Professor Gao stressed the need for deeper international collaboration, noting that global health security depended on shared knowledge, coordinated systems, and sustained investment by countries and development partners worldwide.
He urged African countries to leverage partnerships to build resilient health systems capable of detecting, preventing, and responding effectively to outbreaks in real time across communities.
The session ended with interactive discussions, where participants examined practical ways of applying China’s public health strategies to strengthen preparedness and health system resilience in Nigeria.
NAN.