The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) is advancing efforts to establish a continental digital health identity system aimed at strengthening data protection, improving healthcare delivery, and enhancing outbreak response across Africa.
Prof. Yap Boum II, Deputy Incident Manager for Mpox at the Africa CDC Incident Management Support Team (IMST), disclosed the developments during the weekly high-level regional news conference on Thursday.
Boum II said the initiative forms part of a broader digital public health agenda to help African countries securely manage health data and improve coordination during public health emergencies.
He explained that the proposed digital health framework would operate at both continental and national levels to ensure secure storage, analysis, and sharing of health information. A key pillar is the creation of a continental public health data centre, which will serve as a secure platform for hosting and analyzing health data from member states.
“The centre is expected to function as a data hub where health information from countries can be safely hosted and analyses, enabling faster disease surveillance and response to emerging outbreaks,” he said.
The system would also support national governments in strengthening their Emergency Operations Centres (EOCs) and health intelligence platforms. Boum II noted that about 29 African countries have already established or strengthened their EOCs, which serve as command centres for managing public health emergencies and coordinating outbreak responses.
He added that improved national data hubs would enable countries to maintain health intelligence systems capable of tracking disease trends, analyzing risks, and responding swiftly to public health threats.
The continental digital health strategy is designed to complement—not replace—national systems, ensuring countries retain control of their health data while benefiting from shared regional capabilities.
Boum II highlighted successful digital health platforms in countries like Rwanda and Ethiopia, where digital tools have enhanced data management and health service coordination. He said digital health identity systems could also allow healthcare workers to access patient medical histories more easily during emergencies, improving clinical decision-making and reducing medical errors.
According to him, the broader digital transformation agenda is central to Africa CDC’s strategy for strengthening the continent’s health security and sovereignty, building technological capacity to manage public health data and respond effectively to threats.
He emphasized that collaboration with national governments and partners is critical to implementing digital health systems in ways that protect citizens’ privacy while expanding access to quality healthcare.
Boum II reaffirmed Africa CDC’s commitment to supporting member states in developing secure digital health systems that enhance disease surveillance, strengthen health systems, and improve public health outcomes across the continent.
