Morocco has launched the African Academy for Health Sciences in the Saharan city of Dakhla to promote research and training in the continent.
The African academy, launched by the Mohammed VI Foundation for Science and Health in Dakhla, aims to promote South-South cooperation to ensure African health sovereignty. Its 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 Academy 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.
It will maintain 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).
Through its various initiatives, the Academy aims to become a hub for health development in Africa, promoting scientific innovation and organizing conferences and symposia to contribute to the sustainable improvement of African health systems.