ETHIOPIA – The Republic of Zambia, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the Africa Union Commission have launched the Continental Framework for Strengthening Mortality Surveillance in Africa.

The new framework document was unveiled during a jointly organized High-level Expert Panel and inputs were received from all stakeholders, including Member States and partners, leading to its launch on 29 September 2022, in Lusaka, Zambia.

Delegates from AU Member States, Ministers of Health, International Partners and Regional Economic Communities attended the High-level Expert panel forum and witnessed the launch of the Continental Framework for Strengthening Mortality Surveillance in Africa,” Africa CDC said.

The Continental Framework is guided by the vision of the Heads of State and Government, “Agenda 2063 – The Africa We Want” and the New Public Health Order which lays out the five pillars required for Africa to ensure its health security, according to an official statement by Africa CDC.

This Framework document draws on the lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic and other previous public health emergencies to provide guidance for Member States on how to leverage existing information systems to build their national repositories for mortality data,” the agency highlighted.

The agency explained that the Continental Framework for strengthening mortality surveillance will provide guidance for African countries on how to leverage existing information systems to build their national repositories for mortality data in order to strengthen vital statistics.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant loss of lives and livelihoods in Africa, and despite the over 12 million cases and over 250,000 deaths documented, the true burden of the pandemic on health systems still remains unknown,” the agency further said.

Africa CDC’s Acting Director, Dr Ahmed Ogwell Ouma in his opening remarks thanked all stakeholders for their contributions towards the development of the continental framework.

He further emphasized Africa CDC’s mandate guided by the African Union’s ambition to support all Member States so that each can have a national repository and database for all mortality data.

Vice President of the Republic of Zambia, Her Honor Mrs. Mutale W. K. Nalumango, who graced the occasion on behalf of her government, called upon fellow countries to the guidance document to develop holistic surveillance systems to ensure availability of credible and timely mortality data.

African leaders and AU Member States were also urged to prioritize investments both financially and in human capital, to ensure the establishment and operationalization of mortality surveillance systems that are aligned with country priorities and international or regional standards.

The information generated through such systems would provide leaders with insights into disparities in disease burden across geographic and demographic groups,” the Vice President said.

The new public health order focuses on strengthened institutions for Public Health, strengthened workforce for public health, domestic resources, local manufacturing along with action oriented and respectful partnerships.

The framework aligns with existing regional initiatives such as the Africa Programme on Accelerated Improvement of Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (APAI CRVS), and the Campaign on Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMMA).

It is also in line with the Strategy for the Harmonization of Statistics in Africa 2017-2026 (SHaSA), and the Africa Health Strategy (2016-2030).

Hon. Chea Sanford Wesseh, Assistant Minister for Vital Statistics at Ministry of Health, Republic of Liberia, echoed the need for strong partnerships.

He called upon development partners and stakeholders to align their resources with the priorities of the continent to ensure the operationalisation of the Continental Framework.

In addition, Minister Wesseh disclosed that the document contains all necessary strategies required to strengthen health systems, civil registration and vital statistics.

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