US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO) would have a significant impact on public health programs in Africa, the African Union health agency said on Thursday ( Africa CDC).
Mr. Trump signed this decree a few hours after his inauguration on Monday, justifying this withdrawal by the gap in American and Chinese financial contributions.
Ngashi Ngongo, chief of staff of the Africa CDC, said it was “a decision of great importance for Africa.”
The United States “is one of the largest contributors to public health in Africa,” he said during an online press briefing.
Mr. Ngongo clarified that the Africa CDC itself does not “really expect that much impact” from the American withdrawal, if confirmed, with less than 10% of its funding currently coming from the United States.
-On the other hand, this withdrawal would “greatly” affect the agency’s member states, he said, stressing that many African countries receive funds from the American PEPFAR program to fight AIDS.
Asked whether China or other countries could fill the shortfall, Ngongo said the Africa CDC should be open to “well-meaning countries that can come in to help member states.” Africans.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the African Union (AU) both deplored the decision, calling on the United States to reconsider it.
“The United States was an early and strong supporter of the creation of the Africa CDC” which works with the WHO to “detect, prepare for, respond to and recover from pandemics,” warned the AU Wednesday.
