40% Of Africa’s Health Resources Lost To Mismanagement – Africa CDC

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has raised concern that nearly 40 per cent of health resources across the continent are lost due to inefficiency and weak governance systems.

Speaking on Thursday during a weekly high-level regional press briefing, Tolbert Nyenswah, Director for Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response, said the trend, though alarming, could be reversed without the need for additional funding.

According to him, improving governance structures, enhancing efficiency, and ensuring accountable public financial management remain key to transforming Africa’s health systems and unlocking billions of dollars currently lost to systemic leakages.

“Fixing these inefficiencies is not just about more money; it is about smarter use of existing resources,” Nyenswah said, stressing that better management could allow countries to channel funds into critical health services without expanding their budgets.

The briefing also spotlighted encouraging progress in some countries, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is working towards allocating 14.5 per cent of its national budget to health, in line with the targets of the Abuja Declaration.

Nyenswah further noted that an increasing number of public health emergencies across Africa are being driven by climate and environmental factors. He added that emerging challenges such as antimicrobial resistance are placing additional strain on already overstretched health systems.

To address these growing threats, he disclosed that the continental agency has secured over 250 million dollars in strategic investments from partners, including the European Union, Global Fund, and the Pandemic Fund.

The funds are targeted at strengthening One Health initiatives, building climate-resilient systems, and improving pandemic preparedness across the continent.

He called on African governments to urgently prioritise governance and efficiency reforms, warning that failure to act could undermine the continent’s ability to meet its health development goals.