EAC launches first regional framework to strengthen pandemic preparedness

EAC Deputy Secretary General Andrea Malueth (centre) with partners at the launch of the Regional Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response (PPPR) Policy Framework in Arusha, Tanzania, on January 21. (Courtesy)

The East African Community (EAC) has officially launched its inaugural Regional Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response (PPPR) Policy Framework.

The instrument is designed to strengthen collective action against public health emergencies across the eight EAC Partner States.

The policy comes after the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 to 2022 caught many countries in Africa and East Africa unawares, straining its healthcare systems.

Approved by the 25th EAC Sectoral Council of Ministers of Health in May 2025, the policy framework provides a harmonised roadmap that reflects EAC’s commitment to strengthening surveillance systems through collaboration with partner states and prioritising the most vulnerable members of the community, putting them at the centre of equitable public health systems.

It integrates the One Health approach, recognising that diseases can be transferred from animals to humans and hence involves other sectors, including agriculture and livestock, tourism, and climate change.

According to the EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Infrastructure, Productive, Social, and Political sectors Andrea Malueth, the launch is timely and countries have the opportunity to use the lessons learnt from recent public health emergencies, including Ebola, Marburg, Covid-19, cholera and Mpox.

“We have learnt that pandemic preparedness is not the responsibility of the health sector alone. It requires a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach,” said Malueth, during the launch of the policy on Wednesday in Arusha, Tanzania.

Malueth further stressed the importance of collaboration among EAC Partner States and sector actors in order to accelerate progress in curbing and managing pandemics.

“Our strength lies in coordinated action, shared responsibility and regional solidarity. This framework provides a practical foundation to move from policy to implementation at national, sub-national, and cross-border levels,” he said.

African Population and Health Research Center ( APHRC) Deputy Executive Director Dr Joseph Gichuru commended the partnership between APHRC and the EAC that led to the development and adoption of the framework.

“The adoption of the Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response (PPPR) Policy Framework in May 2025 stands as a powerful endorsement of what we can achieve when we choose unity over isolation,” said Dr Gichuru.

Delivering a keynote address, Dr. Kamene Kimenye, Acting Director General of the National Public Health Institute of Kenya(KNPHI), highlighted the region’s vulnerability to both endemic and emerging diseases, noting that health threats in one Partner State quickly become regional concerns in a shared economic and social space.

“The Covid-19 pandemic exposed critical gaps in surveillance, diagnostics, supply chains and vaccine access,” said Dr Kimenye.

She added: “This Policy Framework offers a comprehensive blueprint to strengthen resilience through cross-border coordination, digital innovation, sustainable financing, and meaningful community engagement.”

The framework addresses long-standing challenges, including fragmented coordination, limited resources, weak surveillance and information systems, and insufficient community and gender-responsive approaches.

At the same time, it leverages opportunities in digital health, regulatory harmonisation, pooled procurement, and regional pharmaceutical manufacturing to advance self-reliance and early warning and response capabilities.

The launch marks a significant milestone in the EAC’s efforts to build a coordinated, interoperable, and resilient health system capable of preventing, detecting, and responding to future pandemics.

The EAC called on governments, development partners, research institutions, civil society, the private sector, and the media to join in translating the Framework into concrete action that safeguards lives, livelihoods, and regional development even as the region moves toward implementation.