Minister of Health and Population Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar has reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to strengthening African health sovereignty by leveraging its pharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities, regulatory expertise and healthcare experience.
The minister made the remarks on Saturday during a meeting with Nardos Bekele-Thomas, Chief Executive Officer of the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), on the sidelines of the World Health Summit in Berlin.
Ministry spokesman Hossam Abdel-Ghaffar said discussions focused on enhancing co-operation in pharmaceutical regulation, vaccine and medicine manufacturing, technology transfer and resilient medical supply chains to strengthen Africa’s healthcare self-sufficiency.
Both sides explored opportunities to mobilise investment and development financing for priority healthcare infrastructure and pharmaceutical production projects across the continent.
They also stressed the importance of expanding technical co-operation, vocational training and capacity-building programmes for African health authorities and medical professionals.
The discussions further addressed strengthening health security through closer collaboration in disease surveillance, pandemic preparedness, laboratory capabilities and emergency response.
The two sides also explored ways to exchange expertise in primary healthcare, universal health coverage, health insurance and health system development to improve the accessibility, quality and sustainability of healthcare services across Africa.
They agreed to step up efforts to expand local production and promote equitable access to essential medicines, vaccines and medical technologies throughout the continent.
In addition, they will identify opportunities to implement joint healthcare projects in co-operation with development partners and African financial institutions.
