Africa CDC Raises Alarm Over $700M Ebola Funding Gaps

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has expressed alarm regarding over $700 million in Ebola response funding that remains unaccounted for in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). During a press conference in Kinshasa, Director-General Dr Jean Kaseya revealed that international donors had disbursed approximately $962 million to organizations implementing Ebola response programs in the DRC, yet only about 30% of these organizations provided financial information during a recent verification exercise.

Kaseya clarified that the funding discrepancy does not imply embezzlement but indicates significant failures in transparency and financial reporting. Organizations disclosed around $220 million, which included $120 million already spent and $100 million yet to be utilized.

Congo’s Health Minister, Samuel-Roger Kamba, supported these concerns, noting that much of the international funding had bypassed government accounts. Kamba mentioned that the government introduced an accreditation requirement through the National Public Health Institute (INSP) to compel organizations to disclose their funding sources and program objectives before engaging in Ebola response activities.