Written by: Badr Ahmed
Cairo witnessed a high-level bilateral meeting between Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health and Population, and a senior official from the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), on the sidelines of the Africa Health ExCon 2026 exhibition and conference, which will begin tomorrow with broad participation from officials and experts in the health sector from various countries of the continent.
Egypt receives a shipment of medical and logistical equipment to support vaccine distribution and health data management.
During the meeting, the African official praised the leading role played by Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar in chairing the African Health Leaders Meeting (AHLM), appreciating his efforts in maintaining political and technical momentum towards public health priorities at the African continental level, and supporting initiatives aimed at enhancing the readiness of health systems and achieving common health security.
He also expressed his appreciation for Egypt's continued support of the African Single Procurement Mechanism (APPM), a strategic initiative aimed at enhancing the capacity of African countries to procure medical supplies and vaccines more efficiently and sustainably. He emphasized that the close cooperation between Egypt and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has contributed to the activation of the APPM and the establishment of the necessary operational and governance frameworks to ensure its success.
The visit included the delivery to Egypt of a shipment of medical and technical equipment worth more than US$7.8 million, provided through the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) as part of the Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative, funded by the Mastercard Foundation and coordinated by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
The shipment includes 41 high-quality vehicles, along with 100 refrigerators dedicated to storing vaccines, as well as desktop and laptop computers, tablets, and modern printers, which enhances the capabilities of the Egyptian health sector in the areas of vaccine distribution and health data management.
Officials confirmed that this equipment will contribute to improving vaccine delivery services to the most needy areas, enhancing the cold chain capabilities for vaccine preservation, as well as developing health data management systems and raising the efficiency of follow-up and monitoring, which supports Egypt’s efforts to strengthen its health system and achieve the Sustainable Health Development Goals.
