Cairo: Health Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar on Sunday, August 23, 2026, reaffirmed Egypt's support for African countries in addressing shared health challenges. Abdel Ghaffar, co-chair of the African Ministerial Committee on Reforming the Global Health Architecture, made the remarks via video conference during a committee meeting attended by Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya, African health ministers, and representatives of international health organizations.

According to State Information Service Egypt, the Minister emphasized the need to enhance the continent's capacity to respond to epidemics. He conveyed Egypt's solidarity with the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, commending frontline health workers for their efforts in managing Ebola outbreaks and other health crises.

Abdel Ghaffar stated that Africa must transition from relying on reactive assistance during crises to achieving sustainable preparedness and strengthening domestic capacity. He described the current response to epidemics as a test for the global health architecture's ability to translate preparedness into swift action and effective coordination.

He affirmed Egypt's full support for African-led clinical trials and the generation of scientific evidence, underscoring the importance of building clinical research capacity ahead of crises. Regarding financing, Abdel Ghaffar highlighted that pandemic preparedness requires sustainable and predictable funding mechanisms.

He called for ongoing discussions on reforming the global health architecture, including reviewing financing mechanisms at the World Bank and multilateral development banks, to bolster Africa's health security.