Officially launch of inaugural Regional Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response (PPPR) Policy Framework./PHOTO; APHRC
The East African Community (EAC) has officially launched its first-ever Regional Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response (PPPR) Policy Framework, marking a major step toward strengthening collective health security across the region’s eight Partner States.
Unveiled in Nairobi in the presence of delegates from all Partner States, the Framework provides a harmonised roadmap for coordinated action before, during, and after public health emergencies.
It reflects a growing regional consensus that pandemics do not respect borders and must be addressed through shared systems, joint planning, and regional solidarity.
Approved by the 25th EAC Sectoral Council of Ministers of Health in May 2025, the Policy Framework commits Partner States to strengthening disease surveillance, early warning systems, and emergency response mechanisms, while placing vulnerable populations at the centre of equitable public health systems.
A defining feature of the Framework is its integration of the One Health approach, which recognises the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health.
As a result, it extends pandemic preparedness beyond the health sector to include agriculture and livestock, tourism, climate change, and other critical sectors that influence disease emergence and spread.
Speaking at the launch, Hon. Andrea Aguer Ariik Malueth, EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Infrastructure, Productive, Social, and Political Sectors, described the Framework as both timely and necessary, noting that recent outbreaks have exposed the region’s vulnerabilities.
“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,” Hon. Malueth said, citing experiences from Ebola, Marburg, COVID-19, cholera, and Mpox outbreaks.
He underscored the importance of collaboration among Partner States and sector actors, adding, “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.”
The Framework was developed through a partnership between the EAC and the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC).
Commending the collaboration, Dr. Joseph Gichuru, APHRC’s Deputy Executive Director, described the adoption of the Framework as a powerful signal of what regional cooperation can achieve.
“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,” Dr. Gichuru said.
Delivering the keynote address, Dr. Kamene Kimenye, Acting Director-General of Kenya’s National Public Health Institute, highlighted East Africa’s exposure to both endemic and emerging diseases within a highly interconnected social and economic space of over 300 million people.
“The COVID-19 pandemic exposed critical gaps in surveillance, diagnostics, supply chains, and vaccine access,” she said.
“This Policy Framework offers a comprehensive blueprint to strengthen resilience through cross-border coordination, digital innovation, sustainable financing, and meaningful community engagement.”
The Framework confronts long-standing challenges such as 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 strengthen early warning and response capacities.
The launch marks a significant milestone in the EAC’s efforts to build a coordinated, interoperable, and resilient regional health system.
As implementation begins, the EAC has called on governments, development partners, research institutions, civil society, the private sector, and the media to collaborate in translating the Framework into concrete actions that safeguard lives, livelihoods, and regional development.
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