25 Sep 2024

The European Corporate Council on Africa and the Middle East (ECAM) executive chairperson, Mr Kamel Ghribi, has been commended for challenging prevailing circumstances within the health space in developing countries.

President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi commended Mr Ghribi and his team for their outstanding efforts and dedication to promoting universal healthcare during the ECAM 6th summit, which was held on the sidelines of the ongoing 79th United Nations General Assembly in New York, United States.

“I therefore commend you, Ghribi, for your vision and zeal to grow universal health care and education through the birth of the European Corporate Council on Africa and efforts to bridge the gap between developing and developed countries,” he said.

He said this year’s theme: Creating a Better Present to Build a Greater Future for Africa: the Role of Healthcare and Investments, was appropriate and resonated with Botswana’s Reset and Reclaim Agenda, which was primarily developed to deal with the repercussions occasioned by COVID-19, steer recovery, and deal with future economic shocks and disease outbreaks.

Dr Masisi told the summit that Botswana was fully behind efforts to develop Africa’s capacity to develop vaccines and set up plants to develop vaccines within the continent to avoid mass loss of lives and ensure that such vaccines were not preserved for a few.

Therefore, he said, ECAM needed to raise its hand further and take advantage of the vast African trade agreement, which boasts about 1.3 million people, something he said would go a long way in improving the livelihoods of the continent’s people.

“It is paramount that we seize opportunities presented by the agreement and forge collaboration partnerships that will enhance our competitiveness and bolster value chain development,” he said, adding that lack of cooperation and collaboration would deny the predominantly youthful African population employment opportunities.

He said unlocking key sectors such as mining, tourism, agriculture, and education was of essence and rested upon the shoulders of the governments of the African continent to make it a reality.

In this regard, he said, collaboration with like-minded partners such as ECAM were necessary so that African nations could take advantage of the fourth industrial revolution and transform lives through smart agriculture and green technologies.

For his part, Mr Ghribi concurred with President Masisi that synergies were critical for the Africa to take its rightful place on the world stage.

He said this could be achieved by harnessing the vast resources of the continent, pertinent technologies in Europe, and financial resources in Asia.

World Health Organization (WHO) director general, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus was elated that the Africa CDC had grown exponentially and pledged financial and technical support to develop national and continental capacities.

He said such partnerships would have come to naught without the support given to WHO by African leadership and governments. ENDS