John Vertefeuille, Global Immunization Director – CDC

AFENET 20th Anniversary Message

Distinguished colleagues, partners, and friends, on behalf of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is an honor to join you in celebrating 20 years of AFENET’s leadership in protecting health across Africa. For two decades, AFENET has been at the heart of building stronger health systems. CDC is proud to have walked with you on this journey, supporting workforce development and disease surveillance for immunization and vaccine-preventable diseases across the continent.

Together, we’ve trained thousands of health professionals now serving their own communities, from mentoring stop-transmission-of-polio volunteers from more than 49 countries to preparing over 3,500 frontline workers for vaccine safety. You’ve built a foundation for lasting progress in a network that now spans more than 30 national field epidemiology and laboratory training programs in over 40 countries, making AFENET a cornerstone of Africa’s health security and proof of what can be achieved when expertise, collaboration, and commitment come together. The skills imparted to health professionals reached through this network ensure sustainability of better public health practices across the region.

With this foundation in place, our partnership has also been able to focus on stopping outbreaks before they spread, not only protecting the people of Africa, but also around the world. In Nigeria, AFENET ‘s leadership was pivotal to a stop-transmission-of-polio program which mapped nearly 50,000 settlements to reach more than one million nomadic children with vaccines, a decisive step towards ending wild poliovirus. In Ethiopia, AFENET has strengthened over 400 health facilities through supportive supervision and data-driven tracing of children who missed vaccines, critical tools for both controlling measles and variant polio outbreaks.

You have also helped deliver Measles Rebella campaigns in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Nigeria. These efforts show the power of a network that can act quickly, adapt effectively, and deliver results when and where they are most needed. What sets AFENET apart is not only the programs you run, but the people you empower.

Across Africa, your graduates are leading outbreak investigations, delivering life-saving vaccines, and building trust in public health. They are the living legacy of AFENET ‘s first 20 years. As we celebrate this milestone, we also look ahead.

Global health security depends on strong systems everywhere. CDC remains deeply committed to our partnership with AFENET to expand vaccine coverage, train the next generation of leaders, and ensure every community, no matter how remote, is protected from today’s threats and those still to come. Congratulations on your 20th anniversary.

Your achievements inspire us, and we look forward to continuing this journey together for Africa and for the world. Thank you.