With the participation of Sudan, East African health ministers and officials develop plans to control the spread of epidemics

East African health ministers and officials, in a joint meeting attended by a representative of the Sudanese Ministry of Health, emphasized the importance of coordination, collaboration, capacity building, and border integration to prevent the spread of epidemics and their transmission from one country to another. This should be done within the framework of collective action under the umbrella of IGAD.

On Friday, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) launched a campaign to prepare for epidemics and pandemics, called “Preparedness,” which aims to enhance epidemic prevention and response, strengthen regional health security, and address threats such as varicella zoster (Mpox) and Marburg virus in IGAD countries.
The project was officially inaugurated in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, where Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu, Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and Chair of the African Union Regional Economic Communities (RECs) Coordination and Cooperation Platform, handed over epidemic preparedness supplies and equipment to the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Uganda, marking the launch of the project in the IGAD region. The ceremony took place on the sidelines of the regional health ministers’ meeting.

In a statement published by the body on the X platform, the Secretary-General said that the project represents a new milestone in the four-decade journey of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), during which it has stood by its member states in times of need.

The Secretary-General said that as he officially handed over these vital epidemic preparedness supplies and equipment, the organization reaffirms the collective commitment that has characterized it since its inception in 1986, emerging from the ashes of the devastating drought that struck our region in 1983 and 1984, which claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.
Gebeyehu noted that the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) was founded on the fundamental principle that collective action and regional solidarity are its greatest weapons in the face of adversity. Since its inception, it has consistently demonstrated that when one disaster strikes, it affects all, and when a Member State strengthens its resilience, the entire region becomes more secure.
He noted that this philosophy has guided the organization’s response to countless crises over the past 39 years, from recurrent droughts and floods to conflicts and disease outbreaks.
The IGAD Health Ministers, in their final communiqué following the second one-day IGAD Ministerial Meeting, addressed strengthening preparedness for pandemic response through a One Health approach – August 29, 2025, Kampala, Uganda.
The statement said that the official launch of the PREPARE project comes within the framework of discussing comprehensive strategies to strengthen pandemic preparedness and response capacities through the implementation of a unified One Health approach across the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) region.
The statement noted that pandemics have imposed unprecedented social and economic burdens on the African continent, with the COVID-19 pandemic alone causing an estimated 3.4% contraction in GDP in 2020 and disrupting more than 70% of essential health services across sub-Saharan Africa. Meanwhile, the IGAD region has experienced disproportionate negative impacts attributed to pre-existing structural vulnerabilities and widespread patterns of population movement across borders.
“Noting with deep appreciation the historic declaration adopted by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Heads of State and Government Summit on March 30, 2020, which set out a comprehensive regional response strategy to the COVID-19 pandemic and emphasized the critical importance of cross-border health initiatives in strengthening pandemic preparedness and response mechanisms across our region,” the statement added.
“Guided by the principles of the One Health approach, as comprehensively defined by the One Health High-Level Expert Group (OHHLEP), and formally endorsed by the Quadripartite Alliance comprising the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which promotes an integrated and unified approach aimed at achieving a sustainable balance and improving the health of humans, animals, and the ecosystem,”
Expressing deep concern over the ongoing and escalating threat posed by infectious disease outbreaks, including the recent chickenpox outbreak, which was first confirmed within the IGAD region on July 24 2024 in Kasese District, Republic of Uganda, which later extended to the Republic of Kenya by July 2024, and South Sudan in February 2025, indicating a high risk of cross-border transmission of infectious diseases, transmission of infectious diseases within our interconnected regional framework;
It noted that scientific evidence indicates that approximately 75% of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases in humans are zoonotic, and that the extensive cross-border movement of people, livestock, wildlife, and commercial goods in the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) region poses significant challenges and unprecedented opportunities for comprehensive disease prevention and control initiatives.
The statement expressed IGAD’s appreciation for the pivotal role played by the Pandemic Action Fund in achieving global health security goals, with the African continent receiving nearly 40% of the initial funding ALLOCATIONS specifically allocated to strengthening pandemic preparedness capacities across the region.
We express our sincere appreciation for the exemplary leadership demonstrated by the IGAD Secretariat, Member States, the Pandemic Action Fund, the World Health Organization, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in mobilizing resources.

The statement added that the participants officially affirmed the commitment of their governments and institutions to the strategic requirements that lead to strengthening cross-border surveillance and early warning systems, establishing and strengthening comprehensive cross-border surveillance and monitoring mechanisms, and fully operational early warning systems within border areas, including standardized diagnostic tools and training protocols. They also strengthened community surveillance infrastructure and developed unified digital platforms for One Health surveillance data repositories, integrated with advanced emergency response capabilities. This would ensure seamless coordination among One Health staff in all member states, in addition to deploying specialized cross-border surveillance and response teams, with sustained support for regular coordination, consultation, and collaborative initiatives among member states. The statement indicated that the meeting decided to design and adopt gender-sensitive epidemic preparedness and response plans, enhance laboratory capacities within border areas to facilitate rapid confirmation and characterization of diseases that may become epidemics, including conducting comprehensive assessments, and provide priority support for developing diagnostic capacities and integrated information management systems, and strengthen laboratory networks by establishing robust border laboratory networks equipped with the latest integrated information management systems, and develop and implement a comprehensive regional strategy for biosafety and biosecurity, accompanied by detailed implementation guidelines and sustainable support for adaptation and accreditation processes in member states.
The statement indicated that the meeting decided to design and adopt gender-sensitive epidemic preparedness and response plans, strengthen laboratory capacities within border areas to facilitate rapid confirmation and characterization of diseases with potential epidemic potential, including conducting comprehensive assessments and providing priority support for developing diagnostic capacities and integrated information management systems, and strengthen laboratory networks by establishing robust border laboratory networks equipped with state-of-the-art integrated information management systems. The meeting also decided to develop and implement a comprehensive regional biosafety and biosecurity strategy, accompanied by detailed implementation guidelines and sustainable support for adaptation and accreditation processes in Member States.
The meeting also approved building and strengthening the capacities of regional cross-border workforces to effectively prepare for and respond to unified health emergencies, while ensuring effective engagement with local communities and vulnerable populations.
The participants emphasized the importance of conducting comprehensive regional assessments to examine multi-sectoral stakeholders and local communities, existing systems infrastructure, and current workforce capacities across the IGAD region. They also emphasized the development of unified and standardized health curricula, evidence-based capacity-building approaches, and implementation guidelines that are context-specific, gender-sensitive, and tailored to the specificities of each region.
They also called for the establishment and operationalization of a regional One Health coordination platform, specifically designed for epidemic preparedness and response activities, ensuring inclusive stakeholder engagement and sustained participation, and developing evidence-based advocacy mechanisms that promote comprehensive and sustainable epidemic and pandemic preparedness initiatives across all sectors and levels of governance.
The statement said that the ministers, along with their respective governments, formally committed to supporting and enhancing the political will needed to strengthen national One Health platforms, with a particular focus on strengthening cross-border collaboration mechanisms for comprehensive epidemic preparedness initiatives and promoting the institutionalization and coordination of cross-border epidemic preparedness coordination activities by establishing permanent coordination mechanisms and standard operating procedures, and enhancing and ensuring real-time data sharing capabilities.
The meeting was attended by Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng and Asiro, Minister of Health of the Republic of Uganda; Sarah Cleto Hassan Rial, Minister of Health of the Republic of South Sudan; Dr. Marian Mohamed Hussein, Minister of State for Health and Human Services of the Federal Republic of Somalia; Ms. Mary Muthoni Muriuki, Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Public Health and Professional Standards, representing ministers in the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kenya; and Mr. Mohamed Ali Mohamed, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Health, representing the Minister of Health of the Republic of Djibouti. Mr. Mohamed Mahmoud Mohamed, Director General of Health Emergencies and Epidemic Control, representing the Minister of Health of the Republic of Sudan; Dr. Charles Bussing, Regional Director for Africa, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies; Dr. Robert Kwesiga, Secretary General of the Uganda Red Cross; Dr. Kasonde Muyinga, WHO Representative in the Republic of Uganda; in addition to civil society organizations in the public health sector in Uganda; and senior officials from IGAD Member States and the General Secretariat.