Africa CDC - Mastercard Foundation US$1.5billion SLL initiative

In 2019, the world was confronted with a  ravaging Coronavirus (COVID-19), a herculean task overcome by technical and monetary prowess marshalled through African Centre for Disease Control (Africa CDC) and MasterCard Foundation, respectively.

Dr. Lul Pout Riek extols Africa CDC - Mastercard Foundation US$1.5billion SLL initiative

Africa CDC Southern Africa Regional Coordinating Centre, Regional Director, Dr. Lul Pout Riek is delighted that 
the SLL initiative, a $1.5 billion partnership between the Mastercard Foundation and Africa CDC, incomparable vaccination milestones administered over 32 million COVID-19 vaccine doses, contributing significantly to the African Union's (AU's) target of vaccinating seventy percent of (70%) of eligible people.
 The Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative, implemented in 2021 in a two phased approach anchoring interventions meant to ameriolate the 2019 Coronavirus (COVID-19) teething burden.

The $1.5 billion SLL in Luapula province recruitef 400 healthcare workers with 220,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses being administered countrywide.  
Approximately 32 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered across Africa, helping Africa CDC to reach it's  70% vaccination of eligible people. 
In Zambia, the programme through Red Cross, has supported the development of context-specific Risk Communication and Community Engagement materials, translated into local dialects, to enhance vaccine uptake and public awareness.

As the SLL initiative is closing at the end of December 2025, integration of COVID-19 vaccines into routine immunization programmes.

The Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative is a bulwark against future health emergencies.

The five (5) Africa CDC regions are Eastern Africa, Northern Africa, Southern Africa, Central Africa, and Western Africa. 

Each region is served by a Regional Collaborating Centre (RCC), with the Southern Africa RCC located in Lusaka, Zambia, which was launched in 2021 to support ten member states in the sub-region.
 
The Regional Coordinating Centers (RCCs) Eastern Africa, Northern Africa, Southern Africa, Central Africa, and Western Africa. 

The Southern Africa Regional Collaborating Centre (SA-RCC)  in Lusaka, Zambia acts as a crucial link between the Africa CDC headquarters and the member states in the Southern Africa region, supporting public health initiatives.

The Africa CDC Southern Africa Regional Coordinating Centre is responsible for coordinating ten (10) African Union (AU) countries; 
Angola, Botswana, eSwatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
On the economic front,  the SLL initiative created jobs, contributing to Africa's economic recovery and saving lives.

Capacity Building

A lot of medical personnel were trained and deployed as  technical experts across Africa, thus  strengthening health systems.

Laboratory Establishment

It is worth noting that  32 laboratories for genomic sequencing, a game-changer for pandemic preparedness were established.

Further, strengthening Africa CDC Capcity from HQs, RCC and in country presence by hiring world-class experts in disease surveillance, laboratory capacity, and outbreak response is acknowledged.

Preparedness and Response

The SLL initiative enhanced country capacities for health security, surveillance, and outbreak response, through delivery of world class cold chain equipment to six countries in the Southern Africa to ensure vaccines remind potent and effective strengthening primary health systems in Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Local Manufacturing

The SSL initiative equally laid a strong foundation for vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics, viewed as a critical pillar of the New Public Health Order, without which African Union preparedness and response entrenches vulnerability.

These achievements demonstrate that SLL initiative's profound impact on saving lives, promoting livelihoods, and strengthening Africa's health systems, paving the way for a healthier, more resilient continent.

AFRICA CDC Coorporating Partner, Amref Health Africa has strongly called on the need for the Continent to see to it that African Governments build reliable Systems that will able to timely detect and effectively mitigate future pandemics like Coronavirus  (COVID-19).

Preaching a message of preparedness,  African Governments are being encouraged to remain steadfast in fighting any outbreak and save lives in the Continent once a 2019 situation emerges.

Amref Health Africa Zambia Country Manager, Ms.Viviane Sakanga said most of the Countries on the African Continent were adversely hit by the COVID-19, pandemic out break due to lack of effective preventive measures in managing the health burden, hence need for the African Union (AU) Member States to think ahead interms of putting in place programmes that will help provide lasting solutions in addressing future encounters.

Hosting Zambian Journalists and an  Africa CDC communication team, undertaking an ongoing community engagement tour of regional offices, Ms. Sakanga recollected that during the COVID-19 period in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region including Zambia, a lot of lives were adversely effected and sadly some lost despite countries putting efforts and measures to distribute vaccines to the people that were effected by COVID-19 pandemic on the African Continent.

"As Amref Health Africa, who are Africa CDC partners among others, we think that for Africa to be or have a safer future, when you talk of being affected by the outbreak like COVID-19, the Member States need to massively invest in building health resilient systems capable of detecting diseases of any pandemic that might occur in the future. In our view such preparedness will protect and save and guarantee African lives and livelihoods," Ms Sakanga said.

Ms. Sakanga sought urgent need for the Government of Zambia, specifically Ministry of Health, to provide a guidance in terms of resilient programme and processes that are able to detect the pandemic and be able to withstand future shocks beckoned by outbreak like COVID-19.

And an MoH Immunization Specialist, Ms. Constance Banda is placing premium on a robust responsive national programme toward combating any future pandemic outbreaks in communities.

"Government is  increasing public awareness, with  sustained effort to protect public health consolidating vaccination programmes," noted  Ms. Banda.

On his part, AKROS Zambia Operations Manager James Niyrenda appreciated  on going cooperation between Africa CDC and African Governments.

Mr. Nyirenda described the partnership as a good marriage that has seen tangible good results made possible through  evidence based interventions.

"African Union Member States continue to respond effectively in mitigating COVID-19 cases due to a good collaboration anchored by Africa CDC," said Mr. Nyirenda.

Nyirenda says pharmacovigilance and safety surveillance,  
designed to strengthen Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI) reporting and vaccine safety surveillance, is prioritized by AKROS Zambia. 

"Zambia's vaccination programmes are safe and effective. AKROS Zambia, is collaborating with Zambia Medicines Regulatory Authority (ZAMRA) broadening immunization and support pandemic surveillance.


Cold Chain Preparedness

A visit to the Ministry of Health (MoH) Lusaka Province Cold Chain facility showed remarkable readiness to acquire, store and roll out Anti-TB Medicines, Child Immunization vaccines, 
COVID-19 vaccines,
Lab commodities,
Epidemic commodities 
and other essential medicines. 

During a tour of her jurisdiction undertaken by Africa CDC on Wednesday 30th July, 2025, MoH Lusaka Province Parmacist -in-Charge Vaccines Stores,  Parmacist, Mirriam Muchimba - Chifwesa explained that vaccines are generally stored at temperatures between two degrees Celsius (+2⁰C) and  eight degrees  Celsius (+8⁰C). 

There some vaccines that remain stable in frozen state e.g Oral polio vaccine and they are stored between minus fifteen degrees Celsius (-15⁰C) and minus twenty-five degrees Celsius (-25⁰C), which in turn increases the shelf life as long as they have not reached an expiration date. 
For instance, -Pfizer (prediluted formulation of the COVID-19 vaccine) can be stored in ultra cold chain at -70⁰C until the expiration date. 
Upon removal from ultra cold chain, -Pfizer has a limited shelf life of 70 days when stored between +2⁰C and +8⁰C. Parmacist Muchimba-Chifwesa says her Lusaka Province jurisdiction distributed commodities to all districts. "It is a manageable tight office," said Parmacist Muchimba-Chifwesa as she pointed to solar powered cold chain equipment, as Zambia moves towards. sustainable energy solutions.
UNICEF Immunisation Specialist Dr. Abdalla Hassan is delighted that the African Centre for Disease Control (Africa CDC) Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative built capacity to cope with future pandemics.
On his part, UNICEF, Immunisation Officer, Dr. Tino Maliselo is glad stationed and moving infrastructure built by the SLL guaranteed drugs reaching the last mile withstanding terrain and distance while still potent to any destination.
Dr. Hassan says the Africa CDC Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative played a critical role in guaranteeing acquisition, storage, delivery and eventual distribution of Coronavirus (COVID-19) drugs to all the ten Zambian provinces; Central, Copperbelt, Eastern, Luapula, Lusaka, Muchinga, Northern, North-Western, Southern and Western.
"Through the Africa CDC SSL - Mastercard Initiative, UNICEF Zambia in consultation with the MoH identified areas of interest to support the rollout of covid-19 vaccines to protect the population. SSL  improved the immunization supply chain ensure to guarantee effective safe delivery of COVID-19 vaccines, through planning and coordination on the Zambian country needs. We chose solarisation of fridges to help vaccine rollout in rural beach areas and Zambia as a whole, challenged by electricity availability to sustain the National vaccine store keeping the vaccines safe and potent. Zambia's  capacity to respond to any future pandemic has been built. The second benefit of the SLL initiative is that the protection of children and people through partnership, collaboration and coordination of all key stakeholders  prioritizing  high quality cost effective sustainable equipment rollout and equitable access to life-saving  vaccines," said Dr. Hassan.
On his part Dr. Maliselo says guaranteed access to vaccination regardless of one's geographical location is paramount.
"UNICEF's role is ensuring that quality vaccines, commodities and solarised cold chain logistics reach the last mile in a rural remote village,"  said Dr. Maliselo.
On concrete health systems strengthening  - for example -  health infrastructure, Dr. Maliselo says Africa CDC -Mastercard Foundation refrigeration support has built Zambia's vaccine security and solarisation of the National Vaccine Store. Last week, Zambia received malaria vaccines and as we speak today, we are receiving Mpox vaccines," said Dr. Maliselo, pointing to a sustainable, resilient and responsive Zambian health system. 

Flashback
Africa CDC continued  support for African Union Member States in disease surveillance, prevention, control and response activities towards public health threats saw Africa CDC  Director General (DG), Dr. Jean Kaseya  congratulate President Hakainde Hichilema's appointment as Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) region cholera champion, an accolade which boosted Zambia's COVID-19 stewardship.
This commendation is amplified by Dr. Riek's appreciation of President Hichilema's leadership in combating Coronavirus (COVID-19).
"Africa is ready to manage future pandemics. Through Saving Lives and Livelihoods programme - a US1.5 billion partnership between Mastercard Foundation and Africa CDC - has achieved remarkable milestones. Through establishment 32 laboratories, this collaboration is a game changer as it has strengthened Africa CDC's capacity in pandemic preparedness and response, enhancing country-level health security, surveillance and outbreak response  as well as delivering world-class cold chain to six (6) Southern African countries including Zambia, are steps boosting primary health-care systems across Africa," attested as optimistic Dr. Riek.
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