Written by: Badr Ahmed

The Deputy Foreign Minister headed the Egyptian delegation participating in the Extraordinary Summit on Health in Africa, to review the Egyptian experience in confronting health challenges and ways to enhance regional cooperation.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Mohamed Abu Bakr, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Egyptians Abroad, participated in the extraordinary summit of the African Union, which was held in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, at the head of an Egyptian delegation that included Dr. Abla Al-Alfi, Deputy Minister of Health, Ambassador Wael Fathi, Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to Ghana, and Dr. Heba El-Sayed, Director of the AIDS Control Center.

Egypt unveils its vision for the future of health in Africa

The summit was opened by the President of Ghana, in the presence of the heads of several African countries, including Tanzania, Burundi and Benin, along with some ministers of health, finance and foreign affairs from some African countries. The Egyptian delegation reviewed the Egyptian experience in confronting communicable and non-communicable diseases and providing health care to citizens within the framework of efforts to achieve sustainable development.

Ways to enhance Egyptian-African relations in the field of healthcare, pharmaceuticals and vaccines, and meeting national needs through local manufacturing and the existence of model experiences that rely on national and sustainable financing mechanisms were also discussed, in addition to the financial and structural challenges facing the continent.

The Egyptian delegation held extensive talks with several participating delegations to exchange views on the most prominent challenges facing health in Africa. Ambassador Mohamed Abu Bakr presented Egypt’s preparations to host the African Union’s mid-year summit, on the sidelines of which the African Business Forum and the NEPAD Cooperation and Development Summit will be held.