00:00The Inojiro Summit brought together policymakers, experts and innovators with a shared goal,
00:13building health systems that can stand on their own during emergencies.
00:18Under the theme, Reclaiming Africa's Health Future, discussions focused on lessons from
00:23the COVID-19 pandemic and the urgent need to boost the continent's capacity to detect,
00:29respond to and prevent health threats.
00:32Africa is already a laboratory of ideas, mobile money health payments, drone deliveries and
00:40AI-assisted diagnostics. Our scientists lead in genomic surveillance. Our researchers and
00:49programs have driven the trials and rollout of malaria vaccines now expanding across the continent.
00:59Speakers said self-sufficiency in the health sector can be achieved through building stronger
01:04research institutions, expanding local production and ensuring African governments lead on policy
01:10while treating health as a foundation for long-term growth.
01:14The time has come to redefine health as a pillar of economic growth and not as a social
01:23afterthought. We must build sovereignty in production, in research and in policy.
01:32Delegates also linked health sovereignty to economic stability and continental security,
01:38urging coordinated action among African states.
01:41Here in Kampala, delegates say this first summit lays the groundwork, boosting African manufacturing,
01:48training health workers and adopting technologies like drones and diagnostic apps. The goal is
01:55simple, to be ready for the next crisis long before it emerges.
01:59There was also a strong push to harmonize regulations so that African-made medicines, vaccines and
02:06diagnostics can move more easily across borders.
02:09We must harmonize regulatory frameworks to allow medicines, vaccines, diagnostics and health technologies
02:17developed in one African state to be distributed efficiently across the continent.
02:26Participants called on governments to match political commitments with real investments in local
02:31industry, research and technology. Across the venue, innovators showcased homegrown health tools from diagnostic apps to locally-made medical supplies
02:42as delegates positioned Kampala as a rising hub for Africa's health agenda and the start of a long-term push for health sovereignty.
Be the first to comment