The Pandemic Fund

Background

The African Union Inter-African Bureau of Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) was awarded US$40 million from the Pandemic Fund to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response across Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria. The grant mobilized US$92.2 million in co-financing from multilateral and civil society organizations, as well as US$71.3 million in co-investment from AU-IBAR, the African Union Development Agency, and the Pan African Veterinary Vaccine Centre of the African Union. Additional partners include organizations such as the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the Economic Community of West African States, and the Economic Community of Central African States. 

The Lake Chad Basin is host to continual movements of people and animals across national borders and along transhumance corridors. Within those corridors, close interactions among people, animals, and the environment are common, and surveillance is limited, all of which heightens the risk of disease spread. The Lake Chad Basin is also marked by persistent conflict and fragile governance. Outbreaks of diseases ranging from cholera to avian influenza are frequent, particularly within underserved, conflict-affected communities, and national health systems are weak.  

AU-IBAR's project, called SCOPE, emphasizes collaboration across borders, as well as the region’s various peace, security, and health services, to boost public health security. It is led by AU-IBAR with support from 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 project partners, AU-IBAR aims to drive One Health resilience and stability throughout the Lake Chad Basin. 
 

Implementation arrangements and key components

SCOPE aligns with the Pandemic Fund’s three priorities – surveillance, laboratory systems, and workforce development – while emphasizing effective governance and financial stewardship. Detail on all project components follows.   

1. Strengthening early warning and surveillance systems. Activities in this area include implementing community- and event-based surveillance, environmental surveillance, rumor tracking, and real-time alerts, as well as deploying digital platforms linked to the African Union Digital One Health Platform. They also include strengthening regional centers of expertise and increasing immunization rates among children and animals.  

2. Upgrading laboratory infrastructure, biosafety, and data systems. This work focuses on deploying mobile diagnostic units along transhumance routes, upgrading national and regional reference laboratories, institutionalizing Laboratory Quality Management Systems, and operationalizing regional Laboratory Information Management Systems across the human, animal, and environmental health sectors.