CAIRO – 15 April 2026: Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation, and Migration, Badr Abdelatty, participated on Wednesday in a World Bank event titled "Innovative Solutions to Increase Production and Ensure Access to Medical Products."
The session took place on the sidelines of his participation in the Spring Meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C.
During the event, the Foreign Minister delivered a speech expressing appreciation for the World Bank Group's response to calls from African nations to localize the manufacturing of essential health products.
He specifically commended the launch of the African Medical Access and Manufacturing Initiative (AIM2030) and its pilot implementation across nine African countries, including Egypt.
He emphasized that the initiative represents a fundamental pillar for enhancing the effectiveness and resilience of health systems, particularly given the continent's currently limited pharmaceutical production capacity.
Minister Abdelatty highlighted several key priorities, chief among them the need to localize supply chains in Africa through targeted investment in infrastructure and manufacturing capacity.
He also stressed the necessity of technology transfer, the digitization of drug production permits in African countries, and the importance of accelerating the harmonization of regulatory frameworks. This includes activating the African Medicines Agency and strengthening unified procurement mechanisms, alongside mobilizing innovative financing to meet the health sector’s substantial financial requirements.
In this context, the Foreign Minister reviewed Egypt's national efforts to strengthen its health sector as part of a vision to transform the country into a regional hub for pharmaceutical manufacturing and medical technology.
Among the most prominent of these efforts is the "EDA PharmaLand" project, launched by the Egyptian Drug Authority to increase health sector exports by 2030. He also cited the adoption of the 2024 national strategy for localizing vaccine manufacturing, which builds on successful national experiences such as the localization of Hepatitis C treatments.
Furthermore, the Foreign Minister addressed the "100 Million Healthy Lives" initiative as a pioneering model for strengthening healthcare and prevention systems.
He stressed the importance of attracting investments to cover research and development in this vital sector to support innovation and enhance global competitiveness.
He also noted the Egyptian government's adoption of a comprehensive regulatory framework that includes investor incentives and the digitization of licensing procedures to improve efficiency and transparency, as well as ongoing efforts to establish an integrated industrial complex for prosthetic limbs.
At the continental level, Minister Abdelatty affirmed Egypt's continued role in supporting the expansion of healthcare capacities across Africa, highlighting Egypt's selection as a regional center of regulatory excellence by the African Union Development Agency.
He pointed out that Egypt collaborates closely with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on several priority areas. Additionally, he noted that Egypt hosts the Africa Health ExCon, which has become a leading continental platform bringing together various stakeholders to support health sector development.
Minister Abdelatty emphasized the importance of maintaining a steady pace of cooperation with relevant international organizations, particularly the World Health Organization (WHO), to ensure the continuous exchange of expertise and the adoption of global best practices.
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