Speaking by videoconference during the 38th ordinary session of the Executive Council of the African Union (AU), the Minister noted that a plan to build continental capacities in this area would, in fact, make it possible to detect the appearance of any mutant strains and assess their impact on transmissibility and resistance to vaccines.

Recalling that the Covid-19 pandemic has put the world to the test by sparing no continent, Bourita noted that the pandemic involves challenges that are all the more complex as they are evolving, to the extent that everywhere in the world and in Africa in particular, it acts as an aggravating factor which exacerbates fragilities and inequalities.

However and despite pessimistic predictions, the continent has shown all its resilience, he said, noting that Africa has paid a heavy economic and social price for the health crisis, said the Minister.

He recalled that HM King Mohammed VI called for the promotion of an African management of the crisis.

Through a series of telephone calls with several brotherly African Heads of State, His Majesty the King favored a concerted, solidarity-based and ambitious response at the continental level, covering all the aspects of the crisis linked to Covid-19, underlined the minister.

In addition, Bourita reviewed Morocco's main observations on the African continental strategy making the African Union's response to Covid-19.

On regional solidarity, he recalled that the initiative of His Majesty King Mohammed VI made it possible to channel donations from Morocco made up of medicines, materials and equipment to twenty-one (21) brotherly African countries, representative of the 5 sub-African regions. This is a tangible initiative aimed at establishing an operational and pragmatic framework to support brotherly African countries in their efforts to manage the pandemic.

Regarding the knowledge and management of the pandemic, the Minister noted that the Regional Centers of the Africa CDC and the national focal points will assume a role of collecting and disseminating epidemiological data with the Africa CDC. It is about putting in place a governance and operational framework to provide expertise at the national and continental levels.

Referring to the significant risk of infection of health professionals by Covid-19, which may worsen with the advent of new strains of the virus, the Minister considered that this issue deserves to be included in the continental strategy, by supporting member countries in the protection of health personnel.

Insisting on the importance of the effective vaccination of a critical mass of the African population, Bourita underlined that Morocco, thanks to the vision and the sustained action of His Majesty the King, was among the first African countries to launch its vaccination campaign, which will make it possible to inoculate, free of charge, the Moroccan population aged over 17, as well as foreign residents in Morocco.