It is with great excitement that the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces its second Annual International Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA 2022), which will take place from 13-15 December 2022 in Kigali, Rwanda. The conference theme, Preparedness for future Pandemic and Post-Pandemic Recovery: Africa at a Crossroad, offers a unique platform for African leaders, researchers, policymakers and stakeholders to share scientific findings and public health perspectives and collaborate on research, innovation and public health across the continent.

This second edition of the conference is expected to help further Africa CDC’s mission to “strengthen Africa’s public health institutions’ capacities, capabilities, and partnerships to prevent, detect and respond quickly and effectively to disease threats based on science, evidence-based policy, and data-driven interventions and programs”.

Africa CDC’s inaugural conference, CPHIA 2021, brought together over 12 000 public health stakeholders from across the continent and the world to share scientific findings, collaborate on research and implementation, and chart a shared course towards a more secure future for Africa. From the seven scientific plenaries, eleven parallel sessions, and eight abstract-driven sessions, there was an overwhelming consensus that it is time for change – Africa must stand up, Africa must unite, and Africa must put in place the necessary systems for it to safeguard the health of its people.

CPHIA 2022 Co-Chair and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Global Health Equity, Professor Agnes Binagwaho, MD, M(Ped), PhD shared, “By convening some of the leading figures in public health in Africa, the conference will provide a forum to review lessons learned from COVID-19 and to shape more resilient health systems that can effectively respond to future crises. We are eager to see up-and-coming future leaders take center stage in front of their peers as they work to advance public health, scientific education and research in Africa.”

COVID-19 has had direct and indirect impacts on African health systems, with many essential health services being severely disrupted for extended periods of time. This disruption has threatened the control of major high-burden diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria as well as the prevention of maternal and child mortality and various health screening programs. CPHIA 2022 will also address how African health systems have been affected by the pandemic, and the interventions required to get various continental health programs back on track.

For more information, visit the event website below