Africa Launches $331M Continental Cholera Response Plan to End Outbreaks by 2030

President Hichilema has emerged as a leading voice in rallying Africa’s political leadership to take decisive steps against cholera, a disease that has plagued the continent for decades.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have unveiled a landmark six-month Continental Preparedness and Response Plan against Cholera, marking a new era of coordinated public health action across Africa. The launch took place on 26 August 2025 in Lusaka, Zambia, under the leadership of President Hakainde Hichilema, the African Union's designated Cholera Champion.

Leadership and Political Commitment

President Hichilema has emerged as a leading voice in rallying Africa's political leadership to take decisive steps against cholera, a disease that has plagued the continent for decades. In June 2025, he urged African Heads of State to accelerate investment, cross-border coordination, and vaccine access with the goal of eliminating cholera by 2030. The newly launched plan represents the first major outcome of that continental commitment.

"Political leaders are no longer bystanders — they are champions of change," Hichilema declared.

A Multi-Pillar Response Strategy

The new plan sets out seven key priorities to drive a coordinated continental response:

1. Strengthened coordination among African Union Member States and global partners.

2. Enhanced surveillance systems to detect outbreaks faster.

3. Expanded laboratory capacity for quicker diagnosis and confirmation.

4. Effective case management to save lives and reduce mortality.

5. Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) interventions to prevent the spread of disease.

6. Vaccination campaigns, with a focus on scaling access to oral cholera vaccines.

7. Community engagement to empower citizens and ensure behavioural change.

The initiative will be managed by the Continental Cholera Incident Management Support Team (IMST), integrated with the existing Mpox IMST. This structure, co-led by Africa CDC and WHO, ensures rapid mobilization, operational efficiency, and alignment with Africa's broader epidemic response framework.

Establishing the African Task Force on Cholera Control

Alongside the plan, Africa CDC and WHO will support the creation of an African Continental Task Force on Cholera Control. This platform will unite governments, researchers, development partners, and civil society to:

• Align with the 2030 Global Cholera Elimination targets.

• Establish National Presidential Task Forces in Member States.

• Mobilise resources, including expanding Africa's capacity to produce Oral Cholera Vaccines (OCVs).

The Urgency of Action

Cholera remains one of Africa's deadliest public health challenges. According to Africa CDC data:

• The continent accounts for 82% of global cholera cases and nearly 94% of global cholera deaths.

• Between September 2025 and February 2026, Africa is projected to face over 200,000 new cases and 6,020 deaths.

• Without new interventions, this represents a 42% increase in cases and a 98% rise in deaths compared to 2024.

The scale of the crisis underscores the urgency of implementing the new plan and mobilising resources at speed.

Financing the Response

The plan requires $231.7 million for immediate outbreak response supplies, logistics, and field operations. An additional $100 million is needed to expand Africa's oral cholera vaccine production capacity, reducing reliance on external suppliers and ensuring timely access during emergencies.

"This is not only a health investment, it is a continental resilience investment," Africa CDC Director General Dr Jean Kaseya stated.

Global Solidarity and Regional Collaboration

Speaking at the launch, Dr Kaseya hailed the initiative as a "turning point in how political leaders engage alongside technical experts" to tackle Africa's recurring epidemics.

"Their leadership, matched with Africa CDC's technical guidance and the solidarity of our partners, will move us closer to a continent free of epidemics, free of cholera, and resilient against future threats," he said.

In a joint statement, Dr Kaseya and Professor Mohamed Yakub Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa, highlighted the importance of solidarity:

"We have learned that only through shared responsibility and regional collaboration can we effectively respond to complex health emergencies like cholera."

Leveraging the IMST Model

The plan draws lessons from Africa's successful coordination against mpox outbreaks, where the Continental Incident Management Support Team (IMST) applied the "4-One principle" — one team, one plan, one budget, and one monitoring framework. This approach delivered coherence, efficiency, and accountability across Member States, and will now be applied to cholera response.

Looking Ahead: A Cholera-Free Africa by 2030

The African Union, Africa CDC, WHO, and Member States agree that cholera elimination is achievable within this decade if political will, community engagement, and sustained financing converge. The launch of the Continental Cholera Response Plan is therefore more than an emergency measure; it is a stepping stone toward long-term elimination.

As President Hichilema, the AU Cholera Champion, affirmed: "The fight against cholera is about saving lives, protecting communities, and ensuring that no African is left behind in the march to health security and dignity."