The African Development Bank Group has approved a $13 million emergency funding package to support efforts to contain an Ebola outbreak affecting the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), South Sudan, and Uganda.
The financing, announced on July 21 in Kinshasa, is aimed at strengthening national response systems and curbing the spread of the virus, which was first declared in the DRC on May 15. The outbreak is centred in Ituri province in the country’s east, with confirmed cases also reported in Bunia, Rwampara, and Mongwalu.
The funding includes $10 million reallocated from the Bank’s existing DRC portfolio, to be implemented through the World Health Organization (WHO). An additional $3 million will be drawn from the Bank’s Multi-Country Emergency Assistance Project for the three countries and implemented by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
Of the total package, the DRC—at the epicentre of the outbreak—will receive $11 million, while Uganda and South Sudan will each receive $1 million to support preparedness and response measures.
According to the Bank, the funds will be deployed under its Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak Response Plan, with a focus on early case detection, epidemiological surveillance, public awareness campaigns, community engagement, and cross-border coordination. The initiative will be carried out in collaboration with national health authorities in the affected countries.
“This emergency support reflects the African Development Bank Group’s commitment to supporting the Democratic Republic of Congo and countries in the region in protecting human lives, strengthening the resilience of health systems and preventing the spread of the epidemic,” said Mohamed Cherif, Deputy Director General for Central Africa and the Bank’s country manager for the DRC.
Since the outbreak began, the virus has spread beyond Ituri to North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, raising concerns about wider regional transmission. Health officials have identified the strain responsible as the Bundibugyo variant of Ebola, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment.
The latest intervention underscores growing concern among regional and international health authorities over the potential for cross-border escalation, particularly in areas with high population mobility and limited health infrastructure.
