"Our Continent needs, more than ever, a strong specialized Health Agency, endowed with a clear and coherent structure and with all the means allowing it to act immediately on health emergencies threatening our Continent", underlined MFA Bourita in his remarks on the Progress Report on the operationalization of Africa CDC at the 40th ordinary session of the Executive Council of the African Union.

The Minister, who praised the intense and permanent commitment of Africa CDC and the professionalism it has shown since the announcement of the first COVID-19 case in the African continent, in February 2020, reaffirmed that Morocco is aware of the programmatic, administrative and governance challenges faced by Africa CDC.

Morocco is also aware of the urgency of operationalizing Africa-CDC, MFA Bourita said, noting that Africa-CDC should not be centralized, as health challenges vary from one region to another.

The Minister pointed out, in this regard, that the COVID-19 pandemic "reminded us how important it is to strengthen our health systems and build a common vision for Africa based on concrete and reasonable solutions in order to achieve peace and overcoming the socio-economic challenges generated by the pandemic".

Africa CDC must preserve its technical role in order to reaffirm its notoriety and neutrality and become a leader at the continental level and a privileged actor in the fight against disease threats in Africa, the Minister stressed.

This delegation supports the proposal of the Africa CDC High Level Task Force on the operationalization of Africa CDC in order to transform the current AU COVID-19 Response Fund into a real Africa Epidemic Fund, and supports the recommendations made by the Commission calling for the reassessment of the position of the head of the CDC and the immediate implementation of the administrative measures making the Africa CDC operational, taking into account the structural and governance challenges through the amendments to its Statute, noted the Minister.

MFA Bourita recalled on this occasion that His Majesty King Mohammed VI chaired, last week, the ceremony to launch the construction works of a manufacturing plant for Covid-19 vaccines and other vaccines, a structuring project which will ultimately contribute to ensuring the vaccine sovereignty of Morocco and the African continent as a whole.

The Executive Council of the African Union continued, on Thursday, its 40th ordinary session, at the headquarters of the pan-African organization in Addis Ababa, with the participation of Morocco.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates leads the Moroccan delegation to this session, marked by the election of the Kingdom to the AU Peace and Security Council for a three-year term.