Title: “Meeting in Cape Town for a multi-sectoral approach to non-communicable diseases, injuries and mental health in Africa”
Introduction :
The African Center for Disease Control and Control (Africa CDC) is organizing a major meeting on non-communicable diseases, injuries and mental health from October 24 to 26, 2023 in Cape Town, South Africa. This initiative aims to promote a multi-sectoral approach to respond to the health challenges facing the African continent. In this article, we will explore the issues of this meeting as well as the expected results.
The need for a multi-sectoral approach:
According to the organizers, it is essential to adopt a multi-sectoral approach to effectively address the growing burden of non-communicable diseases, injuries and mental health problems. The risk factors linked to these issues are interconnected with daily life activities, economic impact and social practices. The intersectoral approach would thus make it possible to provide a more effective and coordinated response to these health challenges.
The Africa CDC five-year strategy:
The meeting in Cape Town supports the implementation of Africa CDC’s five-year strategy for non-communicable diseases, injury prevention and control, and mental health promotion. This strategy, adopted in April 2022, emphasizes the need to coordinate the actions of Member States, regional economic communities and partners to combat non-communicable diseases.
The objectives of the meeting:
The meeting aims to establish an African Union/Africa CDC multi-sectoral working group on non-communicable diseases, injuries and mental health. Expected outcomes include the creation and formal launch of this working group, with clearly defined roles and responsibilities. In addition, it is expected that this meeting will allow the different stakeholders to have an in-depth understanding of the social determinants of health and the role to be played by the different ministries in mitigating them. Finally, the establishment of a performance framework for the working group, with clear and measurable measures, should also be decided.
Partners involved:
Several partners are expected at this meeting, such as members of the AFRICA CDC Task Force (NCDI/MH), members of the African Union Commission, the WHO Regional Office, the Global Foundation for the Fight against diabetes, UNDP, the UN Interagency Taskforce on NCDs, the African Alliance for Tobacco Control and Control, as well as the media.
Conclusion :
This meeting in Cape Town marks an important milestone in the fight against non-communicable diseases, injuries and mental health problems in Africa. By adopting a multi-sectoral approach, participants will work together to develop coordinated and effective solutions. Let us hope that this meeting will result in concrete actions to reduce the burden of these health problems and improve the well-being of African populations.