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Health Security Partnership to Strengthen Disease Surveillance in Africa (HSPA)

Implementing GP Member | Canada, United Kingdom

 Collaborating Partners | Africa CDC, Robert Koch Institute, WHO Regional Offices for Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean, WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence

 The Health Security Partnership strengthens disease surveillance and epidemic intelligence across the African continent, enabling countries to better detect and respond to public health threats - whether they are natural, accidental or deliberate. Launched in 2023 in six countries, The Gambia, Mali, Morocco, Namibia, South Africa and Tunisia, the partnership has expanded to Rwanda in its second phase which runs from 2025 to 2028.

Universalization and Effective Implementation of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) in Africa

Implementing GP Member | Canada, United Kingdom, United States, Italy

 Collaborating Partners | United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs, Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) Implementation Support Unit (ISU)

 The four-year project (2022-2026) is being implemented by UNODA’s Implementation Support Unit for the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC ISU). It aims to increase BTWC membership and enhance its implementation in Africa by: (1) promoting universalization of the Convention; (2) providing assistance for the development of BTWC implementing legislation; (3) supporting the preparation and submission of Confidence-Building Measures (CBMs); and, (4) facilitating the establishment or designation of National Contact Points (NCPs) and reinforcing national coordination.

German Biosecurity Programme

Implementing GP Member | Germany

 Collaborating Partners | Robert Koch Institute, Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, GIZ

Launched by the Federal Foreign Office in 2013, the programme has implemented multi-year projects to strengthen interagency biosecurity collaboration, develop and maintain biosafety and biosecurity measures and build capacities in detection and diagnostics in 28 countries, including Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, DR Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Egypt, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania and Tunisia. In addition, the GIBACHT fellowship programme has trained 83 health professionals from Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

The German Biosecurity Programme is currently running in its fourth phase (2023-2025). Cooperation is conducted with Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia.

Undergraduate BSc. Degree Program in Biosafety and Biosecurity

Implementing GP Member | Canada

 Collaborating Partners | International Federation of Biosafety Associations, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology

Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology’s undergraduate BSc. Degree program in Biosafety and Biosecurity is a collaborative effort with the International Federation of Biosafety Associations and the only one of its kind globally. The program is designed to meet the growing demand for qualified biosafety and biosecurity professionals and combines theoretical with practical co-op placements in relevant institutions across East Africa. Students are provided with a diverse range of courses covering topics such as biological risk assessment and mitigation, laboratory design and biocontainment, biological non-proliferation, and cyber biosecurity. International best practices are integrated into the curriculum through guest lecturers to broaden students‘ perspectives and promote their global awareness.

Global Partnership Women’s Network to Mitigate Biological Threats in Africa

Implementing GP Member | Canada

 Collaborating Partners | International Federation of Biosafety Associations

Practical implementation of the Global Partnership‘s (GP) SIMBA threat reduction programs prioritizes gender equity and robust engagement of local women champions as a critical contributor to sustainable health security in Africa. In 2022, Global Partnership members, in collaboration with the International Federation of Biosafety Associations, regional and international organizations, reiterated their commitment to gender equality. The GP Women’s Network to Mitigate Biological Threats in Africa was subsequently established with the goal of gender equality and empowering women in the creation and delivery of the GP‘s SIMBA programmatic activities in Africa. Longer-term goals include ensuring women have decision-making power and leadership opportunities in biosafety and biosecurity across Africa.