Kenya is among the East African countries set to benefit from a new KSh150 million (€1 million) funding boost from Germany aimed at strengthening the region’s response to the ongoing Ebola threat.
The funding commitment was announced on Thursday, June 4, following the 8th Extraordinary Meeting of the East African Community (EAC) Sectoral Council of Ministers of Health, which was held virtually from June 1 to June 2.
According to EAC, the meeting brought together health ministers from EAC partner states to review ongoing Ebola response measures and regional health security initiatives.
“The meeting considered resource mobilization efforts to support the Ebola response. Ministers welcomed a commitment by Germany’s Development Bank (KfW) to reallocate EUR 1 million to support the deployment of mobile laboratories, procurement of diagnostic supplies and training of laboratory personnel,” the statement read.
The ministers noted that efforts are underway to secure additional financial support to bolster the region’s preparedness and response capacity against disease outbreaks.
“They also noted ongoing efforts by the EAC Secretariat and German development cooperation agency, GIZ, to mobilize additional funding in support of the Ebola response and to further strengthen pandemic preparedness in the region,” the statement added.
According to EAC, the funding will also support the deployment and operation of mobile laboratories that have already been provided to EAC member states under a regional laboratory strengthening initiative.
“The EAC mobile laboratories were provided to Partner States under the EAC Regional Network of Reference Laboratories Project supported with funds from the Government of Germany, through the German Development Bank KFW and with technical supports from Bernhard Nochted Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM), Germany’s largest institution for research, teaching, consulting and care in the field of tropical diseases and emerging infectious diseases,” the statement further read.
The meeting further reviewed progress under the EAC Pandemic Preparedness Project, which seeks to enhance regional capacity to respond to public health emergencies through a coordinated One Health approach that integrates human, animal and environmental health expertise.
“The Ministers welcomed the progress made under the EAC Pandemic Preparedness Project (PanPrep), supported by the Governments of Germany and the European Union, which has established a regional pool of more than 180 multidisciplinary experts operating under a One Health approach,” the statement noted.
