In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Director General of Africa CDC, Dr. Jean Kaseya, alerts about the lack of traceability of a large part of the funding intended for the response to the Ebola virus disease. During a press conference held on October 14, 2026 in Kinshasa, he indicated that international donors had disbursed 962 million US dollars (USD), directly to international organizations and NGOs responsible for implementing the response. He added that over 700 million USD remain to be traced.
The follow-up meeting organized to review these fundings only allowed to trace a little over 200 million USD – about 220 million according to the official statement of Africa CDC – leaving a gap of approximately 740 million USD, which the pan-African agency summarizes as “over 700 million USD” unknown to national authorities.
This meeting had been organized by the Director General of the National Institute of Public Health (INSP), Dr. Dieudonné Mwamba, with the support of Dr. Hyppolite Kalambay, country director of Africa CDC in the DRC. However, participation remained low: about 30% of the concerned partners – barely a third – took part in the meeting and shared their financial information. For Jean Kaseya, this low mobilization complicates efforts to clearly establish the situation of the funds announced for the response.
The Director General of Africa CDC also specified that, out of the approximately 220 million USD declared by the present partners, 120 million had already been used and about 100 million USD remained available to implementing organizations. He emphasized the need to search for the difference between the amounts declared by donors and those whose use could be established. “But I am talking about the difference between the 900 million and the 200 million declared by the partners. That’s 700 million USD to search for, and they exist,” he said.
However, for Dr. Jean Kaseya, it is still too early to talk about embezzlement: it is a major deficit in transparency and financial communication, which prevents the government from having a complete view of the resources mobilized and spent. He demands more accountability and warns that administrative measures could target uncooperative organizations, up to suspension or withdrawal of their authorization to operate on national territory – or even reporting to other African countries.
Furthermore, five months after its official declaration, the Ebola outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain remains active in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In a publication posted on its official website on Thursday, October 15, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports 9,144 confirmed cases and 4,410 deaths. The outbreak affects 7 provinces and 65 health zones in the east of the country.
Established in 2017, Africa CDC (Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention) is the public health agency of the African Union. It supports States in strengthening their health systems, disease prevention, detecting health threats, and coordinating responses to epidemics, including Ebola and cholera. As part of this mission, tracking funding is an essential element to ensure that the announced resources effectively contribute to interventions on the ground.
