Ambassador Dr. Mohamed Hegazy Writes: The African Center for Combating Endemic and Infectious Diseases… From Egypt’s Experience to African Health Security

Ambassador Dr. Mohamed Higazy6 hours ago

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Recent years have demonstrated that health security is no longer merely a medical issue; it has become one of the most important components of national security and sustainable development. The COVID-19 pandemic proved that countries with strong health institutions, early-warning systems, and advanced scientific capabilities were better able to protect their populations and economies, while countries with weak health infrastructure paid a heavy price in terms of growth and stability.

Africa faces a dual challenge. The continent continues to suffer from the spread of a number of infectious and endemic diseases, including malaria, Ebola, tuberculosis, yellow fever, and cholera, in addition to neglected tropical diseases.

At the same time, there are significant disparities in health capabilities among African countries, coupled with limited scientific research capacity and insufficient pharmaceutical production.

Against this backdrop, Egypt has provided an exceptional model in the institutional management of public health over the past decade. It successfully implemented one of the world’s largest programs to eliminate hepatitis C, and its experience has received international recognition.

Egypt has also developed its hospital system, launched presidential public-health initiatives, and expanded the domestic production of medicines, vaccines, and medical supplies.

Building on this experience, the Alamein Africa Forum could witness the launch of an “African Center for Combating Endemic and Infectious Diseases,” an institution with a continental mandate headquartered in Egypt and operating in partnership with the African Union, African national Centers for Disease Control, and the World Health Organization، Its objective would be to establish an integrated African system for health security.

The Center’s role would not be limited to responding to epidemics after they occur. Rather, it would establish a proactive system encompassing early surveillance, scientific research, information sharing, training, rapid response, and the development of medical professionals, enabling the continent to address health threats before they develop into humanitarian or economic crises.

The Center would include a network of reference laboratories, research centers, health databases, and risk-analysis units, allowing it to serve as the continent’s scientific hub for monitoring the evolution of diseases, providing early warnings to governments, and proposing appropriate policies for addressing emerging health threats.

The Center could also lead continental programs to combat hepatitis C, malaria, Ebola, tuberculosis, and tropical diseases, drawing on Egyptian expertise in early detection, the management of large-scale health campaigns, the training of medical teams, and the provision of affordable treatment.

Pharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturing would constitute one of the most important pillars of this initiative. Africa cannot achieve health security while remaining entirely dependent on external imports. Accordingly, the Center could lead a program for pharmaceutical technology transfer, encourage the establishment of joint manufacturing facilities, and support scientific research, thereby contributing to the development of an African pharmaceutical industry capable of meeting the needs of local markets.

An African Academy of Public Health could also be established within the Center to train doctors, nurses, epidemiologists, hospital administrators, and technical personnel. This would help create a new generation of highly qualified African health professionals with strong scientific links to Egyptian institutions.

In the era of the digital revolution, the Center should make extensive use of artificial intelligence and big-data analytics to predict the spread of diseases, track patterns of infection, manage health databases, and connect hospitals and research institutions across the continent through a unified digital platform.

The Center’s mandate should not be confined to curative healthcare. It should also extend to supporting programs for maternal and child health, nutrition, vaccination, school health, and the prevention of non-communicable diseases, recognizing that health development begins with prevention rather than treatment.

This initiative would represent a new model of Egyptian soft power based on sharing expertise, building institutions, and transferring knowledge, rather than relying solely on the provision of medical assistance.

It would reaffirm that Egypt views the health of African citizens as an integral part of its own national security, and that the prosperity of the continent begins with healthy people capable of working, producing, and contributing to development.

Launching the African Center for Combating Endemic and Infectious Diseases from the city of Alamein would send a powerful message that the Forum is not limited to economics and investment, but places the African citizen at the heart of the development agenda. It would also affirm that health security is the foundation of economic and social security.

If Africa succeeds in building an integrated health system, it will not only protect its populations; it will also attract investment, enhance productivity, reduce healthcare costs, and advance the sustainable development to which the continent aspires.

In the next article in the “Towards Alamein” series, we will examine the initiative for an “African Projects Bank,” a platform proposed by Egypt to consolidate investment-ready projects and connect them with financiers and companies, transforming the Alamein Forum into an annual marketplace for projects rather than merely another forum.