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Morocco reiterated on Monday, January 25, its call for the creation of an African expert platform to boost the continent’s resilience to epidemics.
Morocco’s Permanent Representative at the African Union (AU) and the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Mohamed Arrouchi, stressed the need for such a platform during the 41st session of the AU Representatives Committee in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Morocco initially proposed the expert platform in June 2020, arguing it would consolidate Africa’s response to future health challenges.
The platform would support competent authorities in African countries by providing them with advice on the fight against epidemics, Arrouchi said. It would also allow for continuous exchange of expertise, consolidating intra-African cooperation.
According to the Moroccan diplomat, the proposal would also lead African states and pan-African institutions to achieve autonomy in the field of medical products, equipment, and logistics.
Read also: Morocco Calls for Expert Platform to Boost Africa’s Epidemic Resilience
Arrouchi emphasized the importance of building a common African vision that meets the aspirations of African citizens.
He recalled that Morocco sent medical aid to over a dozen of African states to help them in their fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
“All the products and equipment constituting the aid were manufactured in Morocco, on African soil, by Africans,” the diplomat said.
“This action constitutes a concrete example demonstrating that Africa can acquire its own expertise, in very specific areas, as soon as the opportunity arises,” he continued.
Arrouchi also urged African states to accelerate the creation of the African Medicines Agency (AMA), “which will provide the continent with greater autonomy in the provision of medicines for all African citizens.”
Morocco was among the first countries to ratify the Treaty for the Establishment of the African Medicines Agency, in December 2019.
The agency, which the AU created in February 2019, is designed to harmonize medical regulation between African countries. But it is yet to become fully operational.
