Officials Attend Topping out Ceremony of African CDC Headquarters in Addis

ADDIS ABABA – African Union and Chinese officials gathered on Friday to celebrate the topping out of African CDC Headquarters in Addis Ababa.

Ambassador LIU Yuxi, Head of the Mission of China to Ethiopia, and Mrs. Amira Elfadil, Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development (HHS), were among the attendants on behalf of the AU and the Government of China, respectively.

Speaking at the ceremony Commissioner Elfadil said the completion of the first phase marks 45 percent of the total construction.

“While celebrating our success in reaching 45% of total project completion within an impressive record of 348 days, the African Union would like to express its sincere appreciation to the Government .. China for funding of the whole project,” she said.

Ambassador Yuxi, on his part, underlined the close China-Africa partnership.

“As we speak, the COVID-19 pandemic is still wreaking havoc across the globe,” Yuxi said. “However, it cannot prevent China-Africa cooperation from growing in depth and substance. China and Africa stand together with mutual assistance, team up amid difficulties and treat each other wholeheartedly,” the a

The ambassador concluded by saying “The Africa CDC building itself is a manifestation of beneficial and practical work for the African people. China will proceed to try its utmost to assist African countries in responding to the pandemic and restoring economic and social development.”

Africa CDC Headquarters Project

At the 2018 Beijing Summit, China expressed its commitment to support the building of the Africa CDC HQ – a decision African leaders welcomed with appreciation and expressed commitment to support the realization of the project.

The construction started after the AU Commission and the Ministry of Commerce of China signed the implementation agreement on the Africa CDC HQ’s building project in July, last year.

Located in the African Village, south of Addis Ababa, the new site covers an area of 90,000m2 with a total construction area of nearly 40,000 meter square.

When completed the building will include an emergency operation center, a data center, a laboratory, a resource center, briefing rooms, a training center, a conference center, offices, and expatriate apartments, all to be constructed, furnished and equipped by the Government of China.

The headquarters building is expected to become one of the best-equipped centers for disease control in Africa, allowing the Africa CDC to play its role as the technical institution coordinating disease prevention, surveillance and control in the continent, in partnership with the national public health institutes and ministries of health of Member States.

 

Featured image caption: Africa CDC Headquarters Construction Project