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A weekly development news platform published by UrgeDevWire, produced by Urge Communications. Covering wider East African region.

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Ethiopia Trains 89 Health Professionals for Rapid Emergency Response

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — 31 July 2026

Ethiopia has expanded its public-health emergency workforce with the graduation of 89 health professionals trained under the African Volunteer Health Corps – SURGE initiative. The World Health Organization reported the development on 31 July 2026, saying the professionals had completed an intensive one-month programme implemented by the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI), with support from WHO and funding from the Pandemic Fund.

The fourth cohort includes professionals from federal institutions, regional states and city administrations. The training focused on detecting, investigating and responding rapidly to disease outbreaks and other public-health emergencies. According to EPHI Director General Dr Mesay Hailu, the programme is intended to strengthen Ethiopia's capacity to deploy emergency personnel within 24 to 48 hours of a public-health emergency. All 89 graduates have been added to Ethiopia's National Emergency Response Roster, expanding the country's pool of trained personnel available for emergency operations.

The investment is particularly relevant as African countries strengthen preparedness following repeated outbreaks and other public-health emergencies. The programme also reflects a shift from relying predominantly on external emergency teams toward developing national and regional pools of trained responders. For Ethiopia, strengthening emergency workforce capacity has implications beyond infectious diseases. The trained workforce can potentially support responses to natural disasters, humanitarian emergencies and other threats requiring rapid mobilisation of health personnel.

WHO said the initiative forms part of broader efforts to build a resilient and self-sustaining public-health emergency workforce.

Source: WHO Africa- WHO and Pandemic Fund Support Ethiopia.

Urge Inside Health| East Africa. Urge- DevWire