What AFENET does

AFENET (African Field Epidemiology Network) is a Pan-African nonprofit organization founded in 2005 and headquartered in Kampala, Uganda, that coordinates Field Epidemiology Training Programs (FETP) across more than 40 African countries through a five-region office structure covering Central, East, Southern, West, and Francophone Africa. Its core technology is a three-tier FETP model delivering competency-based training at Frontline (3-month), Intermediate (6-9 month), and Advanced (2-year residency) levels, supplemented by the AFENET Corps of Disease Detectives (ACoDD) rapid response team launched on 7 May 2018, the AFENET Lab laboratory systems strengthening initiative, and the GEEKS e-health fellowship. AFENET also publishes the AFENET Journal (JIEPH), an open-access peer-reviewed scientific journal, and operates as a network of in-country programs embedded within national ministries of health.

AFENET serves two primary customer segments: ministries of health across African countries (who partner to implement FETP programs and strengthen public health systems) and public health professionals and fellows (who enroll in FETP training). Its buyer base on the funding side comprises international health organizations, with the U.S. CDC explicitly identified as the primary funder through the AFENET Networking Cooperative Agreement, complemented by partnerships with WHO, Africa CDC, and other institutional partners.

The organization's revenue model is that of a grant-funded nonprofit rather than a commercial entity: programs are delivered at no cost to participating countries and health professionals, funded through cooperative agreements and grants from international donors. AFENET does not engage in transactional pricing; rather, it relies on direct engagement with ministries of health and the institutional partnerships noted above to sustain operations. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors and managed by a secretariat led by Director Dr. Simon Antara.

Name

AFENET

Legal name

African Field Epidemiology Network

Website

https://afenet.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

AFENET (African Field Epidemiology Network) is a Pan-African nonprofit, founded in 2005 and headquartered in Kampala, Uganda, that coordinates three-tier Field Epidemiology Training Programs (FETP) and rapid outbreak response across more than 40 African countries in partnership with ministries of health and donors such as the U.S. CDC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Health Capacity Building / Field Epidemiology Training

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Field Epidemiology & Contact Tracing (HLAJABAD)

Keywords

• Field epidemiology training
• Disease surveillance systems
• Public health capacity building
• Outbreak response services
• Laboratory systems strengthening

Headquarters

HQ city

Kampala

HQ country

Uganda

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

AFENET delivers a tiered Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP) at Frontline, Intermediate, and Advanced levels to build epidemiology capacity across African ministries of health, supplemented by the ACoDD rapid response team for outbreak deployment, AFENET Lab for laboratory systems strengthening, and the GEEKS e-health fellowship. Programs are delivered at no cost to participants through partnerships with national ministries of health and international health organizations including the US CDC, WHO, and Africa CDC.

Product overview

AFENET operates as a network organization offering a unified portfolio of public health capacity-building products and services centered on the Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP). The core offering includes three-tiered FETP training (Frontline, Intermediate, and Advanced), complemented by the ACoDD rapid response team for outbreak deployment, AFENET Lab for laboratory systems strengthening, and the GEEKS e-health fellowship. The organization also publishes the AFENET Journal (JIEPH) and distributes newsletters and annual reports. These products work together to strengthen public health surveillance, emergency preparedness, and response capacity across African countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ACoDD: AFENET Corps of Disease Detectives - A rapid response team for emergency public health deployments
• AFENET Journal (JIEPH)
• GEEKS Fellowship
• AFENET Lab

Products and services

• Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP) A comprehensive, competency-based field epidemiology training program delivered at three tiers — Frontline (3 months), Intermediate (6-9 months), and Advanced (2-year residency) — to build disease surveillance, outbreak investigation, and public health emergency response capacity among health professionals in African countries. Targeted at ministries of health, doctors, veterinarians, lab scientists, and frontline health workers across Africa.
• AFENET Corps of Disease Detectives (ACoDD) A rapid response team of trained epidemiologists deployed to support outbreak investigations and emergency public health responses across African countries, including surveillance, case investigation, contact tracing, and emergency operations. Serves African ministries of health during outbreak emergencies such as Ebola and COVID-19.
• AFENET Lab A collaborative laboratory systems strengthening initiative that builds capacity for public health laboratory networks across Africa, supporting disease detection and diagnostic capabilities. Targeted at national public health laboratories and ministries of health.
• GEEKS Fellowship (Growing Expertise in E-Health Knowledge and Skills) A fellowship program that develops e-health and digital health expertise among health professionals, currently implemented in Uganda with multiple cohorts. Targeted at health professionals seeking digital health and health informatics capabilities.
• AFENET Journal (JIEPH) An open-access, peer-reviewed scientific journal published by AFENET, providing a platform for publishing public health research from Africa. Serves researchers, public health professionals, and the global scientific community.

Quantifiable outcome

• Graduates trained across Advanced FETP, Intermediate FETP, and Frontline FETP programs
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCDC is a primary funding and technical partner through the AFENET Networking Cooperative Agreement. CDC provides funding and technical expertise supporting AFENET's FETP programs, surveillance strengthening initiatives, and emergency response operations across Africa. The partnership enables deployment of ACoDD teams and supports capacity building activities.
• Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAfrica CDC works with AFENET on continental public health initiatives including the Regional Francophone Hub for FETP Advanced training. AFENET co-hosts major conferences with Africa CDC including the International Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA).
• World Health Organization (WHO)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWHO collaborates with AFENET on global health initiatives, disease control programs, and recognition of field epidemiology training standards. AFENET participates in WHO-led campaigns such as World Immunization Week, World TB Day, and other international health observances.
• National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), South AfricamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNICD hosts the South African Field Epidemiology Training Programme (SAFETP), a two-year MSc Field Epidemiology residency program focused on applied epidemiology, outbreak investigation, disease surveillance, and public health emergency response.
• Aga Khan UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAga Khan University hosted the World Health Summit Regional Meeting 2026 at the United Nations Office in Nairobi, bringing together health leaders to strengthen Africa's health systems.
• African Ministries of HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFENET works with ministries of health across 40+ African countries to implement FETP programs, strengthen surveillance systems, and build public health capacity. Each country has an established FETP program under the supervision of its Ministry of Health.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• CHAI (Clinton Health Access Initiative): A global health nonprofit operating across Africa with deep ministry-of-health relationships. Operates as a peer in the African public health capacity-building space and shares counterparties with AFENET, though focused on access to medicines rather than field epidemiology.
• Resolve to Save Lives: A global health organization focused on epidemic preparedness and cardiovascular health. Operates in overlapping geographies and shares the public-health capacity-building mission, though it does not run a comparable three-tier FETP.
• Epicentre: MSF's epidemiology and research affiliate, deploying epidemiologists for outbreak response in African and other low-resource settings. Comparable on field epidemiology capacity and outbreak investigation, though narrower in geographic spread and training scope.

Others

• The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria: A major multilateral funder of health programs across the same African geographies. While not a direct service peer, The Global Fund is a comparable-scale ecosystem participant whose funding flows shape the demand environment for AFENET's work.
• Pandemic Action Network: A global coalition advocating for pandemic preparedness funding and policy. Operates in the same funding-and-policy ecosystem as AFENET but does not deliver training or surveillance; relevant as a thematic peer shaping donor priorities AFENET depends on.

Broad incumbents

• Africa CDC: The continental public health agency of the African Union. Africa CDC overlaps with AFENET on FETP coordination, outbreak response, and continental convening, and co-hosts flagship events with AFENET. It is a broad incumbent in the same continental public health architecture.
• ECDC (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control): The EU's equivalent of US CDC, operating field epidemiology training (EPIET/EUPHEM) programs across Europe. A regional peer in the same disease surveillance and field epidemiology training category, with comparable three-tier training architecture.
• WHO Regional Office for Africa (WHO AFRO): The WHO's Africa regional office, which collaborates with AFENET on disease control programs and field epidemiology training standards. Operates across the same 40+ countries and shares the same public-sector counterparties (national ministries of health).
• US CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention): AFENET's primary funding and technical partner and the historical architect of the FETP model globally. As the originator and largest funder of field epidemiology capacity building, US CDC is the structural incumbent whose priorities shape AFENET's mandate.

Direct peers

• TEPHINET: The global network of Field Epidemiology Training Programs (FETPs), operating as the umbrella coordinating body for FETPs worldwide. TEPHINET is the closest direct peer to AFENET because AFENET itself functions as the African regional FETP network under TEPHINET's broader umbrella.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/afenetafrica
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@africanfieldepinetworkafen3728/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/AFENETafrica
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/african-field-epidemiology-network-for-a-healthier-continent/mycompany
• Instagraminstagram.com/explore/tags/afenet/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about AFENET