China-aided Africa CDC workshop opens in Addis Ababa

The Workshop for Laboratory Detection and Sequencing, initiated by the China International Development Cooperation Agency and established by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), opened on Nov 3 at the headquarters of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) in Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia.

Jiang Feng, ambassador of China's mission to the African Union, and Jean Kaseya, director-general of the Africa CDC, attended the opening and delivered speeches.

Experts from Chinese and African governments and public institutions, and 30 students from 16 African countries were present at the event.

Kaseya noted in his speech that the workshop charted a new chapter for building public health capacity in Africa, where students will hone their skills and make efforts to become leading figures in African public health in the future.

"It's our honor to have outstanding professors and experts from China CDC here to share their expertise with us. Their commitment to the training is truly inspiring," Kaseya said.

Jiang said that China and Africa are a community with a shared future that stands together through thick and thin. The Africa CDC's headquarters, built with Chinese assistance, has been put into operation, according to Jiang. China will continue to provide technological assistance and send public health experts to the Africa CDC, to jointly build a global community of health for all, he said.

The three-week workshop, co-organized by the Africa CDC, offers courses in major fields, including virus, bacteria and parasite detection, human immunodeficiency virus testing, high-throughput sequencing, bioinformatics and antimicrobial resistance surveillance.

The workshop aims to equip technical personnel in the China-aided lab with systematic theories and practical skills, so as to enhance public health capacity of the Africa CDC and African countries.