Africa CDC Taps AI and Data Integration to Modernise Public Health Intelligence
To strengthen response efforts, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) is preparing to launch a new initiative aimed at enhancing health knowledge management across the continent.
A year into the ongoing mpox outbreak, the number of affected African countries has risen from seven to 26, with new clades and sub-strains adding complexity to containment efforts. Notably, Clade I is linked to higher mortality and severe illness, while Clade IIB — sexually transmissible — is driving cases in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.
To strengthen response efforts, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC ) is preparing to launch a new initiative aimed at enhancing health knowledge management across the continent. This move signals a pivotal shift in how Africa responds to public health threats.
The upcoming Africa Health Knowledge Management Portal will serve as a central hub for data, research, and policy insights, facilitating access to critical public health information for stakeholders ranging from national policymakers to frontline health workers.
Dr Nebiyu Dereje, Head of Division, Knowledge Management and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Public Health in Africa (JPHIA ), underscored the importance of the initiative:
“Knowledge generated from an outbreak response in a country will critically support the preparedness and response efforts for a similar outbreak in other countries.”
-Dr Nebiyu Dereje, Head of Division, Knowledge Management and Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Public Health in Africa.
The portal is designed as a multi-tiered platform spanning the continental, regional, and Member State levels, hosted by Africa CDC and its five Regional Coordinating Centres. Member States will be able to host their own portals or connect directly to the continental system.
With support from the Rockefeller Foundation and Mastercard Foundation, the portal integrates AI-powered tools for multilingual translation, intelligent search, real-time document comparison, and a chatbot for user queries. Users will also benefit from personalised content and a mobile-friendly interface.
“This portal is not just a knowledge repository site. It’s a smart system built to catalyse evidence-based decision-making, empower national health systems, and boost regional knowledge exchange and cooperation.”
-Dr Mosoka Papa Fallah, Acting Director of Science and Innovation, Africa CDC.
Africa CDC also plans to train national knowledge managers, build local governance frameworks, and promote a culture of real-time learning through Knowledge Hours, Knowledge Cafés, and Communities of Practice.
“The knowledge exists. The challenge has always been access, translation, and application. With this endeavour, we are bridging that gap.”
–-Dr Mosoka Papa Fallah, Acting Director of Science and Innovation, Africa CDC.
As Africa continues to battle disease outbreaks and health system pressures, this initiative aims to anchor a new era of digital resilience and collaborative action across the continent.
More information and a prototype of the portal are available at: https://khub.africacdc.org
