Ethiopian Public Health Institute

What Ethiopian Public Health Institute does

Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) is a government-owned national public health institute established in 1995 and headquartered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It operates as the country's statutory body for managing disease outbreaks of national and international concern as well as the health consequences of natural and human-made disasters. EPHI delivers research, laboratory services, disease surveillance, data management, and emergency operations across Ethiopia, serving government health facilities, border points of entry, and the national health system through a workforce of 1,001-5,000 staff.

EPHI's core product portfolio centers on public health emergency management. Its flagship initiatives include the Center of Excellence for Public Health Emergency Management (PHEM-CoE), launched in May 2025 to position Ethiopia as a regional leader in emergency preparedness; the ePHEM electronic platform for real-time health emergency data sharing and coordinated response; Ethiopia's first Advance Passenger Information (API) system for border health surveillance; and the upgraded model border control point at Dewele on the Ethiopia-Djibouti corridor. Underlying technology integrates WHO-supported platforms including DHIS2 (District Health Information Software 2) and EIOS (Epidemic Intelligence from Open Sources), enabling health data analysis, visualization, and cross-border surveillance. EPHI is wholly owned by the Government of Ethiopia and operates as a state entity.

EPHI's revenue model is non-commercial. It is funded through national government budget allocations supplemented by international development funding from organizations including the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and bilateral donors such as the Kingdom of the Netherlands. A EUR 5 million Netherlands-funded border management modernization project with IOM exemplifies this grant-based funding structure. Services are not sold commercially; rather, EPHI delivers public health programs through government-to-government partnerships and international organization collaborations, distributing capabilities through Ethiopia's national health facility network and border points of entry.

Name

Ethiopian Public Health Institute

Legal name

Ethiopian Public Health Institute

Website

https://ephi.gov.et

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Ethiopian Public Health Institute is Ethiopia's government-owned national public health institute, delivering disease surveillance, laboratory services, emergency operations, and digital health systems for the Government of Ethiopia and the national health facility network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Health Services

NAICS

Administration of Public Health Programs (92312), Administration of Public Health Programs (923120), Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities (922)

akta.pro primary industry

Disease Surveillance, Epidemiology & Outbreak Response (BPAIAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital Epidemiology & Event-Based Surveillance (media/mobility) (HLAJABAJ), Population Health Surveillance & Epidemiologic Analytics (HLAJAJAB), Emergency Management & Incident Command (EOC/ICS) (EDALAEAD)

Keywords

• Public health services
• Health surveillance systems
• Emergency preparedness
• Laboratory diagnostics
• Epidemic intelligence

Headquarters

HQ city

Addis Ababa

HQ country

Ethiopia

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Budget Allocation: EPHI operates as a government institution funded through national budget allocations and international development partnerships.
2. International Development Funding: Funding from international organizations (IOM, WHO) and bilateral donors (Kingdom of the Netherlands) for specific public health programs and infrastructure projects.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) is a government public health institution that conducts research, operates laboratories, manages disease surveillance, handles public health emergency management, and runs border health programs. It implements digital health emergency platforms (ePHEM, DHIS2, EIOS) for real-time data sharing and emergency response, and oversees Ethiopia's first Advance Passenger Information (API) system for border health screening at points of entry.

Product overview

Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) operates a multi-product public health emergency management ecosystem. The core offerings include the PHEM-CoE (Center of Excellence for Public Health Emergency Management) providing strategic leadership in emergency preparedness, the ePHEM electronic platform enabling real-time data sharing and analysis, and Ethiopia's first Advance Passenger Information (API) system for border security and health screening. The portfolio also includes upgraded border infrastructure at the Dewele crossing point. These products are interconnected through shared digital systems (DHIS2, EIOS) that enable cross-border health surveillance and emergency response.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Center of Excellence for Public Health Emergency Management (PHEM-CoE) A national center established to strengthen Ethiopia's emergency preparedness and response capabilities for outbreaks of national and international concern, and health consequences of natural and human-made disasters.
• ePHEM (electronic Public Health Emergency Management)

Quantifiable outcome

• EUR 5 million invested in border management modernization
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• International Organization for Migration (IOM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 March 2026IOM partnered with EPHI and the Government of Ethiopia with EUR 5 million support from the Kingdom of the Netherlands to modernize border management systems. The initiative focuses on transforming the Dewele border crossing, establishing Ethiopia's first API system, and enhancing cross-border health surveillance.
• World Health Organization (WHO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 October 2025WHO collaborated with EPHI to enhance Ethiopia's national health emergency systems via digital platforms. They implemented ePHEM, DHIS2, and EIOS systems supporting real-time data sharing, analysis, and emergency response with extensive training for staff.
• World Health Organization (WHO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 May 2025WHO supported EPHI in launching the Center of Excellence for Public Health Emergency Management (PHEM-CoE) on May 7th, 2025, to strengthen Ethiopia's emergency preparedness and response capabilities at regional, continental, and global levels.
• Government of EthiopiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Government of Ethiopia, through EPHI, partnered with IOM and the Kingdom of the Netherlands for border management modernization and public health preparedness initiatives.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI): Kenya's national medical research and public health institute conducting surveillance, laboratory diagnostics, and outbreak response. Closely comparable as an East African national public health institute with research and emergency response functions.
• South African National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD): South Africa's national communicable disease surveillance and response body with laboratory and emergency response capabilities. Comparable national-institute role with similar public-health emergency scope and donor-funded programs.
• Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC): Nigeria's national public health institute with a near-identical mandate — disease surveillance, outbreak response, emergency preparedness, and public health laboratory operations. Directly comparable in mission, governance status (government agency), and digital surveillance platforms (SITAware).
• Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC): Continental public health agency coordinating surveillance, outbreak response, and emergency preparedness across African Union member states. Most directly comparable to EPHI at a continental scale — EPHI's PHEM-CoE positions Ethiopia as a national counterpart that Africa CDC works through for emergency management.

Broad incumbents

• Resolve to Save Lives: Global health organization that funds and implements epidemic preparedness and response programs in low- and middle-income countries. Comparable as a funder/implementer overlapping with EPHI's emergency preparedness mandate across the same geography.
• World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa (WHO AFRO): WHO's Africa regional office that funds, designs, and supports EPHI's digital health systems (ePHEM, DHIS2, EIOS) and the PHEM-CoE launch. Comparable as the continental-scale public health authority that EPHI interfaces with and partially depends on for funding and technical assistance.

Regional players

• Tanzania National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR): Tanzania's national medical research institute covering public health research, surveillance, and outbreak response. Comparable East African peer operating under government mandate with similar funding mechanisms.
• Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI): Uganda's national virology and public health surveillance institute. Comparable as an East African public health institute with surveillance and outbreak response functions, though with a narrower virology focus than EPHI.

Others

• International Association of National Public Health Institutes (IANPHI): Global membership organization linking national public health institutes — including EPHI by function. Comparable as the ecosystem/peer network EPHI participates in to access frameworks, peer learning, and donor coordination.
• Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance: Multilateral funder of immunization and health-systems strengthening in low-income countries including Ethiopia. Comparable as an adjacent ecosystem participant whose funding priorities and country engagement overlap with EPHI's public health program portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/EPHIEthiopia
• Facebookfacebook.com/EPHIET
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ethiopian-public-health-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Ethiopian Public Health Institute