Health
Half of approved diagnostics for Africa’s priority epidemic diseases unavailable at primary healthcare level – Report
A new report has revealed that about half of the approved diagnostic tests for six epidemic-prone diseases prioritised by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) cannot be used in most primary healthcare facilities across Africa because they require laboratory infrastructure that is often unavailable.
The report found that 50 per cent of approved diagnostics for Mpox, dengue, cholera, bacterial meningitis, malaria and Ebola depend on laboratory facilities beyond the reach of many frontline health centres.
For Ebola alone, 88 per cent of approved diagnostic tests require laboratory infrastructure.
It also found that funding for diagnostic research and development has steadily declined since 2015, despite Africa’s continued vulnerability to infectious disease outbreaks.
Findings come months after the 2026 Bundibugyo ebolavirus outbreak, during which health authorities initially failed to detect the virus because available diagnostic tests were designed to identify the Zaire strain of Ebola.
The mismatch delayed confirmation of the outbreak by 10 days, highlighting the consequences of gaps in Africa’s diagnostic preparedness.
The report, titled Diagnostics Deficit: Funding, Access, and Preparedness Gaps in African Health Systems, was launched by global health organisations PATH and Impact Global Health ahead of the African Union Extraordinary Health Summit in Accra, Ghana.
Rapid diagnostic tests play a critical role in identifying outbreaks early, guiding treatment and helping health authorities contain the spread of infectious diseases. However, limited access to these tools, particularly in primary healthcare centres where many patients first seek treatment, continues to weaken disease surveillance and emergency response across the continent.
Uneven progress
The report examined six diseases selected from Africa CDC’s priority list for their epidemic and outbreak potential: mpox, dengue, cholera, bacterial meningitis, malaria, and Ebola. Measles, although also on the priority list, was excluded because comparable G-FINDER funding data were unavailable.
Researchers identified 577 approved diagnostic products across six diseases, with another 59 still under development.
However, innovation remains heavily concentrated in just two diseases. Dengue and mpox account for 84 per cent of all approved and pipeline diagnostic products, while cholera and bacterial meningitis, both identified by Africa CDC as major outbreak and antimicrobial resistance threats, have only seven approved or pipeline products each.
Despite a growing number of diagnostic products, access remains a major challenge. Of the 577 approved diagnostics, 288 require clinical laboratory infrastructure, limiting their use in PHC facilities.
While 83 per cent of malaria diagnostics can be deployed at the PHC level, most approved diagnostics for Ebola and mpox remain laboratory dependent, restricting their use in frontline health facilities.
Further review showed that investment in diagnostic research and development has continued to decline. Using G-FINDER data, the analysis found that annual funding for six diseases has fallen by nearly $4 million (approx. ₦6 billion depending on exchange rates) since 2015, dropping from almost $55 million to less than $26 million in 2024.
It warned that funding typically rises during major outbreaks before falling sharply once emergencies subside, a cycle that leaves African countries inadequately prepared for future epidemics.
Experts’ concerns
Commenting on the findings, Sabastine Wakdok, Director of Research at Impact Global Health, said a steady decline in funding reflects a diagnostic research system struggling to keep pace with Africa’s growing outbreak risks.
Mr Wakdok said investment in research and development for diagnostics targeting six priority diseases has continued to fall despite rising disease incidence across the continent.
He noted that funding often increases during outbreaks but drops sharply once the immediate crisis passes, leaving African countries inadequately prepared for future epidemics.
“Diagnostic R&D investment for six Africa CDC priority diseases has fallen nearly $4 million annually since 2015. More troubling, this decline persists despite rising disease incidence and outbreak risk,” he said.
He added that the continent was not receiving the sustained investment needed for epidemic-prone diseases, warning that outbreak-driven funding cycles leave Africa “perpetually underprepared.”
Also commenting, PATH’s Senior Director for the Centre for Advocacy and Policy, Bernard Aryeetey, said the challenge goes beyond developing new diagnostic technologies to ensuring they reach the people and health facilities that need them most.
Mr Aryeetey stressed that the availability of diagnostic tools alone is not enough if they cannot be accessed during outbreaks or integrated into frontline health systems.
“It is not solely whether diagnostics exist, but also whether they can reach clinics and surveillance systems when they are most needed, especially during outbreaks,” he said.
He warned that unless barriers relating to access, affordability, deployment and manufacturing readiness are addressed, people will continue to die needlessly even when effective diagnostic tools are available.
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Recommendations
To address identified gaps, the report called for sustained domestic and international investment in diagnostic research, arguing that emergency-driven funding alone cannot build resilient health systems.
It urged African governments to increase national financing for diagnostics while encouraging global health donors to provide predictable, long-term support.
Authors also recommended that Africa CDC make diagnostics a central pillar of the continent’s health security strategy and called on researchers and manufacturers to prioritise developing diagnostic tools for use in PHC facilities, rather than relying mainly on technologies that require sophisticated laboratory infrastructure.
To improve access across the continent, the report urged the African Medicines Agency to harmonise regulatory approval processes so that diagnostic tests approved in one African country can be recognised more easily in others.
It also highlighted Africa’s growing manufacturing capacity, noting that facilities across the continent can collectively produce more than 500 million diagnostic units annually.
However, weak demand, fragmented regulation, financing constraints and limited ecosystem support continue to prevent manufacturers from operating at scale.
The report concluded that although Africa has expanded its diagnostic pipeline in recent years, improving access, affordability, manufacturing capacity, and deployment will be critical to strengthening the continent’s preparedness for future disease outbreaks.
Nigeria’s healthcare sector needs more than additional funding to expand. It needs businesses capable of attracting capital, deploying it effectively and building institutions that can grow sustainably, healthcare stakeholders have said.
That challenge was at the centre of the inaugural First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Healthcare Summit in Lagos, where the bank unveiled a N20 billion Healthcare Fund to support private healthcare businesses.
The fund will provide financing to hospitals, clinics, diagnostic centres, pharmaceutical companies, pharmacies, maternity homes and other businesses across the healthcare value chain.
The summit, themed “Financing Growth: Unlocking Opportunity, Building the Future of Healthcare,” brought together policymakers, healthcare providers, investors, financial institutions and development partners to examine how more private capital can be channelled into Nigeria’s health sector.
At the heart of the discussions was a persistent financing problem: healthcare providers struggle to access affordable, long-term capital, while lenders and investors often require stronger governance, financial reporting and business structures before committing funds.
“Healthcare is a social imperative and an economic priority,” FCMB Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Yemisi Edun said in remarks delivered by Executive Director, Corporate Services and Service Management Felicia Obozuwa. “Building a strong healthcare system requires patient, affordable and long-term capital.”
Mrs Edun said financing alone would not be sufficient. Healthcare businesses also need sound governance, capable leadership and strategic partnerships to build resilient institutions.
Through the new fund, FCMB plans to finance infrastructure expansion, medical equipment, working capital, technology adoption and other investments aimed at improving efficiency and service delivery.
The push for more private capital comes as the government increases public investment in healthcare and seeks to expand capacity across the sector.
Government investment
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako, said more than N339 billion has been disbursed through the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund over the past 12 years.
Of that amount, N235 billion was disbursed in the last three years under the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, he said.
Mr Salako added that another N32.9 billion was recently disbursed to support more than 8,300 primary healthcare centres, while the government is targeting about 13,000 facilities nationwide.
Beyond healthcare facilities, the government is seeking to increase domestic production of medicines and medical equipment.
Under the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain, Nigeria is targeting local production of 70 per cent of medicines and medical devices by 2030.
Mr Salako also highlighted initiatives aimed at addressing electricity constraints in healthcare facilities and creating long-term procurement opportunities for local manufacturers.
Making healthcare businesses bankable
For private healthcare operators, however, access to affordable capital remains a major obstacle to expansion.
The President of the Healthcare Federation of Nigeria (HFN), Njide Ndili, said affordable, long-term financing is one of the biggest barriers facing private healthcare businesses.
She said experience from HFN’s partnership with the PharmAccess Medical Credit Fund demonstrated that healthcare small and medium-sized enterprises could become bankable when financing is combined with technical support, capacity building and quality standards.
The challenge, therefore, is not simply increasing the amount of money available to healthcare providers but ensuring that businesses are prepared to attract and manage investment.
HFN will work with FCMB to develop a framework for pre-qualifying eligible healthcare facilities and helping businesses become investment-ready.
The federation, which has more than 400 member organisations and 4,000 professionals, will support businesses in strengthening governance, financial reporting, management capacity and growth plans before accessing financing.
From survival to scale
Discussions at the summit examined how healthcare operators can move beyond managing day-to-day pressures and build institutions capable of attracting long-term investment.
Participants explored blended finance, alternative lending structures and public-private partnerships as possible mechanisms for attracting more domestic and international capital.
An executive discussion on building healthcare businesses that attract investment also highlighted the importance of sound business management, governance, risk management and clear growth strategies alongside clinical performance.
READ ALSO: FCMB Group sustains performance, reports 99% growth in profit before tax to N157.3bn
Four broad priorities emerged from the discussions: expanding access to fit-for-purpose capital, improving the bankability of healthcare businesses, strengthening public-private partnerships and increasing domestic capacity in pharmaceuticals, diagnostics and medical equipment.
FCMB’s N20 billion fund is positioned within that broader agenda, complementing government investment with private financing for businesses seeking to expand facilities, purchase equipment, adopt technology and improve service delivery.
The summit was organised in partnership with the Health Business Academy for Africa.
For stakeholders, the next challenge is translating the financing commitments and partnerships announced at the summit into stronger healthcare businesses and increased capacity across the sector.
The broader goal is to create a healthcare ecosystem in which stronger institutions, sustainable financing and strategic partnerships translate into greater access to quality healthcare for Nigerians.
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Nigeria has recorded 1,000 confirmed cases of Lassa fever, with 237 deaths in 2026, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC).
The figure includes 53 healthcare workers who have been infected with the disease, highlighting the continued risk faced by frontline health workers responding to the outbreak.
The agency released its situation reports for epidemiological weeks 29 and 30 on Monday, covering 13 to 19 July and 20 to 26 July, respectively.
According to the Week 30 report, Nigeria recorded 17 new confirmed cases and six deaths during the week, bringing the cumulative figures to 1,000 confirmed cases and 237 deaths.
More details
According to the NCDC, the case fatality rate increased slightly from 23.5 per cent in Week 29 to 23.7 per cent in Week 30.
The NCDC said 23 states have now reported at least one confirmed case across 116 local government areas (LGAs).
Ondo, Bauchi, Taraba, Edo and Benue accounted for 86 per cent of all confirmed cases, with Ondo recording the highest proportion at 32 per cent, followed by Bauchi with 25 per cent. Taraba accounted for 13 per cent; Edo, 10 per cent and Benue, six per cent.
Health workers remain at risk
The NCDC reported one new healthcare worker infection in Week 30, bringing the number of healthcare workers infected with Lassa fever in 2026 to 53.
The agency said infections among healthcare workers remain one of the challenges in controlling the outbreak.
It said it had developed a 30-day Healthcare Worker Protection Plan to reduce infections among frontline health workers in high-burden states, with support from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The agency also reported training frontline healthcare workers, strengthening infection prevention and control programmes, pre-positioning personal protective equipment and providing technical support to investigate and mitigate healthcare worker infections.
Challenges
The NCDC identified late presentation of patients as one of the challenges contributing to the high case fatality rate.
It also cited poor health-seeking behaviour linked to the high cost of Lassa fever treatment and clinical management.
Other challenges identified by the agency include poor environmental sanitation, limited awareness in high-burden communities and infections among healthcare workers.
The NCDC recommended year-round community engagement on Lassa fever prevention and urged healthcare workers to maintain a high level of suspicion for the disease, ensure timely referral and treatment, and adhere to standard infection prevention and control procedures.
About Lassa Fever
Lassa fever is a viral haemorrhagic disease transmitted primarily through contact with food or household items contaminated by the urine or faeces of infected rodents.
Human-to-human transmission can also occur through contact with bodily fluids.
Symptoms typically begin with fever, weakness and headache but can progress to severe complications, including bleeding, respiratory distress and organ failure if not treated early.
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