Egypt’s Health Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar said achieving health sovereignty in Africa has become a strategic necessity rather than a choice, calling for stronger and more self-reliant healthcare systems while maintaining effective international partnerships, during the fifth edition of Africa Health ExCon 2026 in Cairo.
Speaking at the high-level opening session of the conference, titled “African Health Sovereignty: From Dependency to Strategic Independence”, Abdel Ghaffar said strategic health independence means enabling African countries to protect the health of their populations, respond rapidly to medical emergencies and localise the production of essential health products while preserving constructive global partnerships.
The minister presented Egypt’s healthcare reforms as a model for the continent, highlighting the country’s universal health insurance programme, which has completed its first phase in six governorates and is set to expand to an additional 18 million citizens in its second phase.
He also pointed to the “100 Million Healthy Lives” initiative, which successfully eliminated hepatitis C as a public health threat in Egypt, stressing Cairo’s readiness to share its expertise in prevention and early detection programmes with fellow African nations.
Emphasising continental solidarity, Abdel Ghaffar said Egypt had provided rapid support to countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda during Ebola outbreaks by supplying medicines, protective equipment and thousands of doses of locally manufactured remdesivir, in line with directives from President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi.
Addressing pharmaceutical security, the minister noted that Egypt is the only African country to have achieved the World Health Organization’s Maturity Level 3 certification for the regulation of both medicines and vaccines. He said Egypt was prepared to transfer technology, strengthen joint manufacturing and support efforts to localise pharmaceutical production across Africa.
In a separate panel discussion titled “Connecting Continents and Transforming Health Tourism”, Abdel Ghaffar said medical tourism had evolved into an integrated industry built on high-quality healthcare services, streamlined procedures and a comprehensive patient experience.
He noted that Egypt had established a National Council for Medical Tourism and was developing a national digital platform that would serve as the official gateway for international patients, from booking medical services to returning home after treatment.
“Medical tourism represents a promising sector that can support the national economy,” Abdel Ghaffar said, adding that Egypt aims to offer a fully integrated healthcare experience combining advanced medical care with high-quality tourism services.
He also called for unified standards to ensure the sector’s sustainability and enhance its competitiveness regionally and internationally.
During the conference, Abdel Ghaffar was awarded the “Outstanding Health Personality of the Year 2026” in recognition of his contributions to advancing Egypt’s healthcare sector. Lebanese Public Health Minister Rakan Nasser received the “Leadership in Strengthening Health Systems Resilience” award, while Hisham Stait, head of Egypt’s Unified Procurement Authority, was honoured for “Leadership in Advancing Health Cooperation.”
On the sidelines of the event, Abdel Ghaffar met Danish Ambassador to Egypt Lars Bo Moller and representatives of leading Danish healthcare companies and institutions to discuss expanding bilateral cooperation in priority areas including medical technology, digital transformation and healthcare development.
According to Egypt’s Health Ministry, the discussions focused on promoting Danish investment in the Egyptian market, facilitating knowledge transfer, localising advanced technologies and supporting domestic manufacturing of medical products and solutions, further strengthening Egypt’s position as a regional hub for medical industries.
For his part, Ambassador Moller praised the progress achieved by Egypt’s healthcare system and reaffirmed Denmark’s commitment to expanding cooperation with Cairo through partnerships that serve the mutual interests of both countries.
