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Harmonizing Continental Networks and Systems for Pandemic Prevention Preparedness and Response in Africa (HARMONIZE)


Background

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) was awarded US$40 million from the Pandemic Fund to fortify prevention, preparedness, and response (PPR) across the continent. The grant mobilized US$234.2 million in co-financing from multilateral and global health organizations, as well as US$68.1 million in co-investment from Africa CDC. The regional entity project brought together a wide range of partners, such as African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM), Team Europe Initiative, and Resolve to Save Lives, among many others.  

Africa’s public health landscape is complex, shaped by a range of biological, environmental, and socio-political dynamics. More than 70% of the continent’s public health events are attributed to zoonotic diseases, and 30% of its events feature cross-border dynamics. Concerns about antimicrobial resistance are on the rise, too, driven by the wide use of antibiotics in both people and animals. Meanwhile, the continent faces a projected deficit of 6.1 million healthcare workers by 2030, even as natural disasters and conflict put additional strain on often underfunded public health systems. 

The Africa CDC’s project, called HARMONIZE, emphasizes cross-border and cross-sectoral collaboration in response to the complexity of the continent’s public health landscape. Supporting the Africa CDC in its leadership are three implementing entities: the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and UNICEF. 
 

Project objectives

With the support of the Pandemic Fund and HARMONIZE partners, the Africa CDC aims to boost One Health resilience across its member states by aligning systems and investments.  
 

Implementation arrangements and key components

HARMONIZE aligns with the Pandemic Fund’s three priorities – surveillance, laboratory systems, and workforce development – with a heavy emphasis on cross-border alignment. Detail on all project components follows.   

  1. Strengthening early warning, surveillance, and data-sharing systems. HARMONIZE calls for establishing a One Health data-sharing platform and cross-border data-sharing agreements, as well as an alert reporting system to monitor vaccine-preventable, zoonotic, and epidemic-prone pathogens. It also includes plans for standardizing surveillance protocols and establishing the Africa Wastewater Surveillance Consortium. 
  1. Enhancing laboratory quality, capability, and capacity. This work focuses on linking human, animal, and environmental health laboratories through a new Africa One Health Pathogen Identification Network (PIN). It also includes activities such as equipping the Africa CDC reference laboratory, modernizing biobanks, advancing genomic data-sharing, and standardizing biosafety protocols and training programs. 
  1. Building a robust multisectoral workforce. Activities here include advocating for high-level co-financing, policy alignment, and coordination to boost the public health workforce, as well as standardizing curricula with accreditation and deploying Human Resource Information Systems to expedite surge deployments.   
  1. Operationalizing cross-border One Health governance. This part of the project focuses on integrating One Health governance and coordination mechanisms across national borders, developing regional communities of practice and knowledge hubs, and conducting high-level advocacy and training for policy reform.  
  1. Upgrading and integrating National Public Health Institutes (NPHIs). This work focuses on helping NPHIs adopt the One Health approach by filling operational, technical, research, and leadership gaps, as well as transforming ten selected NPHIs into Regional Centers of Excellence.  

HARMONIZE’s implementing entities will support the project implementation. The AfDB will promote financial sustainability, including by helping countries secure additional and future funding, adopt best practices, and scale up successful models—and contribute to a range of other project activities. The FAO will help implement early warning interventions, advance regional harmonization, and foster collaboration across the human, animal, and environmental health sectors. UNICEF will facilitate institutional capacity-building, pooled procurement, and community health workforce development.  


Expected outcomes

By 2029, the Africa CDC expects that HARMONIZE will enable it and its member states to: 

  • Institute a continental One Health data-sharing platform and cross-border data-sharing agreements 
  • Establish Africa PIN, accompanied by real-time genomic data sharing and a fully operational Africa CDC reference laboratory 
  • Train and deploy a robust public health workforce 
  • Unify One Health processes and mechanisms and increase political commitment, and  
  • Turn selected NPHIs into Regional Centers of Excellence.  

 

Note: This project description is based on the project proposal and information available as of February 2026. 

For general inquiries: the_pandemic_fund@worldbank.org

  • Region
    Region
    Africa
  • Location
    Countries
    Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cabo Verde Cameroon Central African Republic Chad Comoros Congo, Dem. Rep. Congo, Rep. Cote d'Ivoire Djibouti Egypt, Arab Rep. Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Eswatini Ethiopia Gabon Gambia, The Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Kenya Lesotho Liberia Libya Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius Morocco Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Rwanda Sao Tome and Principe Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa South Sudan Sudan Tanzania Togo Tunisia Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe
  • Building
    Regional Entity
  • Funding
    Amount Approved (US$) $39,996,957.75
  • Funding
    Total Co-financing
    (in kind & in cash) (US$)     $234,198,132.00
  • Funding
    Total Co-investment
    (in kind & in cash) (US$)     $68,113,959.00

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