‘Africa must be self-sufficient’: John Nkengasong on learning the deadly lessons of pandemics

John Nkengasong, first director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in 2020. Photograph: Mulugeta Ayene/AP

The past five years have been “like going from one fire to the next, with barely any time to catch your breath”, says John Nkengasong, the outgoing head of the body charged with responding to health emergencies in Africa.

A relentless term as the first director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) saw Nkengasong manage the response to Ebola and Lassa fever outbreaks. But nothing compared to the formidable test brought by Covid-19.