President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi participated via video conference Wednesday evening in the summit of the Bureau of the Assembly of the African Union. French President Emmanuel Macron, African Presidents; the members of the Bureau of the Assembly of the African Union, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Chairperson of the African Union Félix Tshisekedi – who was at their head- and African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat participated in the summit.
The Spokesman for the Egyptian Presidency stated that the meeting discussed means to provide COVID-19 vaccine and to support the African healthcare systems.
The President indicated that that meeting proves the existence of the political will to promote joint African efforts to deal with the effects of COVID-19 that poses great challenges and unprecedented threat to all healthcare systems and development regionally or internationally. Hence, His Excellency stressed the importance of continuing coordination with the international community to provide the opportunity for African countries to get the COVID-19 vaccine fairly and equitably. President El-Sisi made it clear that coordination with the international community is required to mobilize the needed funding and logistic support to deal with the economic, social and health repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic within a comprehensive institutional framework.
The Egyptian President stressed that Egypt will spare no effort in supporting all of its African brotherly nations to get the COVID-19 vaccines. His Excellency referred to the Egyptian experience in this regard, noting that it would help enhance the African Union’s strategy to get the vaccine. These efforts aimed at fulfilling the aspirations and hopes of the African nations and fully eradicating the pandemic and its repercussions.
Moreover, President El-Sisi stated that the COVID-19 pandemic drew attention to the need to have the vaccines equitably distributed and to improve the healthcare system so that it would fulfill its role, thus contributing to economic recovery.
In this regard, El- Sisi emphasized the importance of giving priority to Africa with regard to getting a fair share of the vaccines at preferential prices meeting the needs of its people.
Moreover, the importance of ensuring cooperation with global companies developing the vaccine for producing them at a continental level was further emphasized. In doing so, local production would be promoted, thus empowering countries to face any health emergency by transferring and localizing technology in the health sector. The need for finding a continental framework to get the licenses for the production and distribution of the vaccine was stressed.
The Spokesman added that there was a consensus on the importance of strengthening solidarity and concerted efforts among all African nations and governments in order to control the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and mitigate its repercussions. This shall be achieved through mutual coordination to find creative and effective solutions and arrangements so as to provide all the continent’s countries with vaccines.
In addition, President El-Sisi praised all initiatives aiming to ensure the equitable distribution of the vaccines on aglobal level. In the same vein, he stressed the importance of bridging the financial gap to avoid more delay in supplying the vaccines and equitably distributing the vaccines in terms of proper quantity and timing which would lead to speeding up global recovery.
