Al-Tahrawi: Funding Health in Africa Enters a Strategic Transformation Phase
Health and Social Protection Minister, Mr. Amin Al-Tahrawi, participated in the opening of a high-level forum on sustainable health financing in Africa, held in Tangier, attended by several finance and health ministers from African countries, alongside senior officials representing international organizations and technical and financial partners.
This forum is organized under the auspices of King Mohammed VI, in partnership with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, as part of the 58th session of the African Ministers of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development Conference.
In his speech on the occasion, the minister emphasized that the health sector is no longer merely a social service, but has become a strategic and sovereign investment that serves as a crucial pillar for achieving economic stability and enhancing sustainable development on the African continent. He stressed that the current challenge is no longer about the possibility of investing in health but the cost of not investing in it, highlighting that building strong and resilient health systems is a central condition for ensuring both economic and social stability, especially given the rapid demographic changes and increasing pressure on health services.
The government official reviewed the main structural reforms Morocco has embarked on, implementing the High Royal Directions, the most prominent of which is the universal health coverage that now encompasses approximately 88 percent of the population. He also discussed the restructuring of the national health system, focusing on governance enhancement, reorganizing health services, developing human resources, and accelerating digital transformation.
In this context, the minister stressed that the challenge lies not only in the scale of financial resources mobilized but also in their effective deployment. This includes prioritizing prevention, improving patient care pathways, and enhancing reliance on health data in decision-making.
He also called for a structural transformation in Africa’s health systems, based on strengthening the integration between health and financial policies, developing local industrial capacities, particularly in pharmaceuticals and vaccines, as well as bolstering supply chains and supporting mechanisms for regional cooperation.
In this regard, he pointed to initiatives launched by Morocco, including the “Marbio” platform, which serves as a practical model to enhance health sovereignty across the African continent.
This forum is expected to be a significant milestone for strengthening partner mobilization, supporting the reform dynamics, and advancing practical and sustainable solutions for financing health systems in Africa.
