The government of the Central African Republic and the World Bank on Tuesday signed an agreement for a new health security project worth 60 million US dollars, the country’s Ministry of Health announced.
According to Guido Rurangwa, the World Bank’s representative in the Central African Republic, the program was initiated by the Central African authorities and will also benefit member states of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC).
The project aims to strengthen prevention, detection, and response systems to epidemics in Central Africa. The Central African Republic, which has already been affected by several health crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic, remains particularly vulnerable to epidemic risks. Insufficient regional coordination, officials warn, could contribute to the spread or resurgence of infectious diseases.
Guido Rurangwa emphasized the importance for countries in the region to improve their level of preparedness in order to reduce aggravating factors and better protect populations against health threats.
The launch of this initiative comes just days after a report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) indicated that, as of last January, six epidemics — including Mpox — were active in the Central African Republic.
