DAKHLA, MOROCCO, Nov. 24 (LINA) – The Mohammed VI Foundation for Science and Health on Saturday, November 23, 2024 launched the African Academy of Health Sciences (AAHS), at the Mohammed VI University of Science and Health in Dakhla, Morocco.
The Academy which is dedicated to promoting research and development in health sciences in Africa aims to promote South-South cooperation to ensure African health sovereignty.
The academy goal is to create a platform for exchange and partnership to advance scientific research in health, in a context that adapts to Africa’s specificities. It also emphasizes excellence in health science education by offering training programs which meet the continent’s needs.
The President of the Mohammed VI Foundation for Science and Health, Professor Laheen Belyamani said the Academy is a strategic project to advance healthcare in Africa through collective intelligence. He said “it is a symbol of our commitment to a united, supportive, and sovereign Africa in health.” in a speech delivered on his behalf by Youns Bjijou, Deputy Director of the Mohammed VI Foundation.
The AAHS aims, according to Professor Belyamani to be “a catalyst for education, research, and innovation, as well as a space for collective intelligence where experts, researchers, and institutions will come together to create synergies between our countries, responding in a more coordinated and effective way to our continent’s health challenges.” He stressed, “Together, we will strengthen South-South cooperation within the framework of African leadership.”
By working together, he emphasized, “we can transform the African Academy of Health Sciences into a platform for reflection, collaboration and knowledge sharing, one that will not only strengthen our healthcare systems but also provide our citizens with a healthier, more prosperous future.”
The AAHS also seeks to bring together experts through the creation of African networks to develop strategies, conduct research projects, and disseminate knowledge and best practices in health, thus becoming a key body and major task force for African health.
The AAHS maintains strategic partnerships with institutions such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and stakeholders in the pharmaceutical industry to encourage health cooperation. It also participates in collecting and analyzing health statistics through the Big Data initiative and acts as a non-profit African observatory, responding to public health issues from Moroccan authorities as well as African or global institutions.
The Academy’s areas of action include human health (public health, emergencies, cardiology), animal health (veterinary and food safety), and environmental health (climate change, desertification, water, and water stress).
The launch ceremony of the Academy was attended by several dignitaries and experts from across Africa.
