Health Ministers and senior immigration officials of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the nine neighboring countries to DRC have resolved and committed their governments to establish the African Ebola Coordination Task Force (AfECT) to undertake cooperation and collaboration for Ebola preparedness and response.

During a ministerial meeting on cross boarder collaboration to prepare for and respond to the Ebola Virus disease in DRC, different health officials resolved that there is a need for the force to support cross boarder joint planning and implementation of Ebola preparedness and response activities.

Dr. Ruth Jane Aceng the Health Minister said this task force will bring on board coordinated support to countries suffering outbreaks. She also said: “We embrace this aspect of avenue in African Ebola coordination task force so that all partners that are supporting the country that has an outbreak are well-coordinated and it will help us avoid waste of resources.”

Establish the AfECT hosted at the African Union Secretariat in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, under the leadership of the nine-member states with support from Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), WHO and other relevant partners to support the cooperation and collaboration.

Another resolution is to establish the AfECT. Now this task force will have political oversight over outbreaks like Ebola while WHO maintains technical capacity and advice that it gives to the countries.

Health officials who gathered in Goma DRC Congo to discuss the threat of Ebola have resolved to step up measures to minimize the spread of deadly disease. Ugandan officials subsequently discharged and repatriated the other recovering patients back to Congo.

Some of the other issues the health ministers resolved and committed their governments to do include cross boarder Ebola case and laboratory surveillance, cross border tracing and monitoring contacts among others. Some of the nine countries neighboring DRC include Angola, Burundi, Uganda, Zambia, among others.

Finance and Planning Minister Dr Philip Mpango (pictured) led government delegation to the conference met prospective investors, included OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) and Korean Kolon Corporation for detailed deliberations in the first day of the forum.

Finance and Planning Minister Dr Philip Mpango (pictured) led government delegation to the conference met prospective investors, included OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) and Korean Kolon Corporation for detailed deliberations in the first day of the forum.

According to the project description, the government wants to establish the general pharmaceutical plant under a Public Private Partnership under Build Own Operate and Transfer (BOOT) arrangement.

The plant will be constructed in Kibaha, Coast region under the Medical Stores Department to produce drugs and other medical equipment for domestic as well as East African Community and SADC markets.

Dr Mpango said, “the project was good and it aligned with sustainable development goals on health. They said they could see the good prospects of the project.”

The government had lined eleven projects to be presented to prospective investors in the three-day Africa Investment Forum organised by the African Development Bank and partners Sandton Convention Centre to advance projects, raise capital and close financial deals.

Dr Mpango said the pharmaceutical plant would also create more jobs and trade opportunities and solve the problem of counterfeit medicines as it would be easier to monitor the quality standard.