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Africa CDC in collaboration with Member States Plans to Sustain Public Health Priorities Despite Aid Cuts

Author

Gerald Kombo
May 23, 2025

Reimagining Public Health Through Integration: The One Health Paradigm

In an exclusive interview with The 254 Report, Dr. Mazyanga Lucy Mazaba, Regional Director for Africa CDC, shared her remarks by revisiting the foundational concept of One Health, emphasizing that the definition of health must transcend the narrow absence of disease. Instead, it should embrace a comprehensive state of well-being shaped by interconnected human, animal, and environmental systems.

“There are a lot of other factors that contribute to the well-being of a human being,” she stated. “Health is not just the mere absence of disease.”

This integrative philosophy is at the heart of Africa CDC’s new health vision—one that addresses not only traditional healthcare delivery but also systemic resilience, ecosystem linkages, and social determinants of health.

Addressing Gaps Through Systemic Strengthening

Dr. Mazyanga Lucy Mazaba acknowledged the ongoing gaps that many African nations face in achieving robust, resilient healthcare. She cited the importance of aligning with The New Public Health Order, a continental blueprint being advanced by Africa CDC that calls for targeted efforts to build sustainable systems. Among the top priorities: health systems strengthening, institutional preparedness, and national workforce capacity.

“A workforce is a critical component of any system to succeed,” she emphasized, underscoring the Africa CDC’s wide-ranging training programs not just in mental health, but across non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and emergency response.

These trainings are designed to build the right cadre of health professionals, tailored to country-specific needs and focused on preparedness, adaptability, and leadership. In this model, mental health is no longer siloed but interwoven into the entire fabric of health system architecture.

Financing Health: From Aid Dependency to Domestic Solutions

A major thematic concern raised by Dr. Mazaba was the shrinking availability of Official Development Assistance (ODA). As donor funding continues to decline, she noted, countries must confront the urgent need to transition toward domestic health financing mechanisms.

“We saw how economies were destroyed. We saw how livelihoods were messed up,” she said, referencing the far-reaching socio-economic effects of COVID-19. “If you don’t manage your health issues, it’s going to affect everything.”

Dr. Mazyanga Lucy Mazaba highlighted that some African nations have already begun realigning their budgets, driven by pandemic-era lessons that health investment underpins national stability. The Africa CDC is actively supporting this shift by advising member states on budgetary reassignment and strategy.

Prioritizing Mental Health And Psychological Support

About the risk of mental health being deprioritized particularly in states grappling with conflict, environmental crises, and fiscal constraints Dr. Mazaba pointed to the Africa CDC’s multi-pronged strategy. This includes technical, strategic, and policy-level interventions, with structured engagement across all tiers of government.

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We’re sitting with member states to confirm and advise the approaches to relieving themselves from this crunch.

The discussions are not just at one step. You have foot soldiers, the higher technical level, and then policymakers. We drive the message across all.

The goal is not merely rhetorical commitment, but active re-strategizing, especially at the grassroots level where implementation happens.

Innovative, Contextual Financing Solutions

In response to funding shortfalls, Dr. Mazyanga Lucy Mazaba detailed a series of innovative financing strategies that Africa CDC is proposing and supporting:

  • Leveraging domestic resources through reallocation and prioritization

  • Public-private partnerships that bring together insurers, investors, and government

  • Health taxes on airline tickets, alcohol, and tobacco products, with revenue earmarked for public health programs

  • Blended financing models combining public funds, donor support, and private investment

She referenced Kenya’s Social Health Authority (SHA) as an example of evolving insurance infrastructure that could help deliver equitable health access.

“We’re emphasizing to countries that they have domestic resources which they can leverage on. They just need to realign,” she said.

Anchoring Leadership in Mental Health Integration

Dr. Mazyanga Lucy Mazaba gave a detailed overview of Africa CDC’s current efforts to integrate mental health leadership across the continent. This includes:

  • Supporting the Mental Health Leadership Programme (MHLP)

  • Embedding mental health into continental initiatives like the Kofi Annan Leadership Programme

  • Establishing an African Field Epidemiology Training Programme (FETP) in Global Mental Health

  • Implementing short public mental health leadership courses

  • Strengthening networking and civil society engagement, particularly through Primary Health Care systems

These interventions aim to foster a new generation of African public health leaders who are mental health literate, system-conscious, and community-focused.

Taking Ownership: The Path to Health Sovereignty

Ultimately, Dr. Mazyanga Lucy Mazaba issued a call to action for national governments to reclaim ownership of their health futures.

“Our independence will only be achieved if we take ownership as countries,” she concluded, underscoring that health sovereignty is both a goal and a pathway.

Conclusion

In a time when global health architecture is being reshaped by fiscal tightening and geopolitical tension, Africa CDC’s vision articulated powerfully by Dr. Mazyanga Lucy Mazaba is rooted in integration, equity, and strategic leadership. Mental health, once marginalized, is now a core component of a broader health systems transformation that places Africa’s agency and resilience at the center of the story.