Chinese Government provides $2 million grant to African Union Commission for establishment of Africa Center for Disease Control (ACDC)

On November 13, 2015, China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) and the African Union Commission signed a $2 million grant agreement for the establishment of a regional Africa Center for Disease Control (ACDC or 非洲疾病预防控制中心合) in Ethiopia. The agreement was signed by Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E Mr. Erastus Mwencha, and China’s Vice Minister of Commerce, H.E Mr. Qian Keming. The purpose of the project was to establish the first regional organization in the field of public health on the African continent. The proceeds of the MOFCOM grant were to be used for the ACDC's ‘site selection, construction, and human resources’. The ACDC was established in January 2016 and it was officially launched in January 2017.

Additional details

This $2 million project appears to be distinct from another MOFCOM-funded project for the first phase of the construction of the ACDC’s headquarters (Chinese name: 非洲疾控中心总部项目). On July 27, 2020, China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) and the African Union Commission signed an implementation agreement for the first phase of this project, which involves the construction of a 40,000 square foot complex with a main office building, laboratory building, office administrative area, emergency response center, information center, biological laboratory, staff accommodations, and other functional areas. Beijing Institute of Architectural Design is responsible or the design of the ACDC headquarters building and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation is responsible for its construction. On December 14, 2020, construction of the ACDC headquarters in the city of Addis Ababa commenced.

Number of official sources

5

Number of total sources

14